Wounds
by goldencone
Summary: Rated M for future chapters. A Modern Day AU. Eren is fresh out of high school, and decides to get a job. He lands one at JC Pennys, where meets a man named Levi. Levi is odd; he has a new wound every week and is closed off and rude. Eren is strangely drawn to the man, and he doesnt know why. Eren finds himself in Levi's mess of a life, and he's not to sure he wants to be there.
1. 1 - Start

-Hey everyone! Im new here and i decided to try my hand at fan fiction. This is my first one, so don't beharsh or anything. Anyways, enjoy the story!-

Shrill beeps filled his ears and Eren Jaeger snapped upright. Fuck, what time was it? he thought. He slammed his hand down on the snooze button and read the clock. 9:15. He internally groaned. Right. He started work today. He groaned allowed and thrashed around in the sheets for a couple seconds, then finally willed himself out of bed.

He walked out of my room and, out of habit, lazily kissed his fingers and pressed them to his mother's picture sitting on the table in the hallway. He rushed into the bathroom, taking a piss and lazily brushing his teeth. Then he pulled on a shirt, knowing that Mikasa would chew his ear off again if he didn't have one on. He made his way downstairs and was met with the smell of bacon and syrup.

"Hey." he said, his voice still thick with sleep. He cleared his throat and spoke again, "Hey."

Mikasa turned from the stove, looked him up and down, satisfied with the fact that he had the decency to wear a shirt. She spoke up, "I made breakfast for you. Since you have work today." The self-satisfied tone that she used when she said 'work' made Eren roll his eyes. She had begun telling him to get a job months before he graduated; and finally he got fed up her complaints and never having enough money, and decided that he should at least try. Luckily, he landed a job at a JC Penny's in the middle of town.

Eren took a seat the the counter and ran a hand through his hair, "I don't understand how you can wake up so early."

Mikasa shrugged and put a plate of bacon and waffles in front of him, sipping her coffee, "It's easier when you get into the habit," she turned her back to him, "...and when you're not staying up until 2 in the morning."

She grabbed her own plate of food and they ate in comfortable silence, which Eren enjoyed. He and Mikasa barely ever just got to enjoy each others presence, she was busy with work and her friends. Eren was busy with… well, Eren wasn't busy at all. He was enjoying his new freedom by spending his summer sleeping until noon and staying up all night playing video games with Armin, or just fooling around. He recently took to reading after Armin left a book over at his place.

Eren placed his plate in the sink and trudged upstairs. He walked into his room and closed the door, falling onto the bed and sighing loudly. He was debating if he should shower and then get dressed, or just get dressed. He eventually decided on the latter, a shower would most likely put him to sleep. He decided to wear a pair of khakis and a dark blue polo. He pulled his old pair of black converse and stood up, still extremely groggy. He dragged himself downstairs and grabbed a piece of toast. He waved goodbye to Mikasa and left the house, taking his time walking to the bus stop and watching the town go by as he headed to his destination.

Eren's town was pretty small. Since the JC Penny's was one of the only clothing stores in the area, their business was pretty good. Eren walked through the doors, unsure where to go. He looked around and headed to a nearby checkout counter, coming up to a short woman with redish hair.

"Hello, i'm um.. Eren Jaeger? I start work here today." He started. The woman immediately looked up at him and her eyes brightened.

"Oh! Yes, hi! We were expecting you. I'm Petra." She stuck out her hand, and Eren shook it nervously, "Yeah, just follow me! I'll take you to the manager, and he'll give you instructions and a name tag." Petra smiled sweetly at him and gestured for him to follow. They walked through the store, eventually reaching their destination. His manager was tall, he had smooth blond hair that was neatly combed.

"Irvin? Our new employee is here," Petra said, stepping aside so he could see Eren.

"Oh hello, i didn't expect you to be here on time. A lot of our new employees never are. Listen, i'm kind of busy right now, so Petra, go ahead and get him his name tag and show him around. Get him comfortable. I'll catch up later." Irvin said with a serious look on his face. Petra simply nodded and did as she was told.

"So, in conclusion, just be careful when messing with that kind of stuff." Petra breathed, clapping her hands together, "well, i think thats it." Eren let out a yawn. "Wait! I haven't introduced you to everyone." She grabbed Eren's hand, "Don't start getting tired now, this is the exciting part."

Eren followed Petra around, looking for people to be introduced to. Finally, Petra spotted someone and waved them over. It was a girl, with messy hair. She was about as tall as Eren, and had a cute face. Eren couldn't help but smile when she jogged over happily.

"Hey, Petra! Who have you got here?" The girl said, a warm smile plastered on her face.

"Sasha! This is Eren, a new employee. Eren, this is Sasha." Sasha stuck out her hand and Eren shook it gently.

"It is great to have another employee, the same faces everyday can get pretty boring," Sasha said with a slight laugh, Eren smiled along. "As long as you share food with me, we'll get along just fine, Eren." This caused him to chuckle, "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind."

Petra cleared her throat, "Well I'm sure you're busy, Sasha. I'll just introduce Eren to a few more people. Do you happen to know who's here today? I heard Christa was sick…" Eren toned her out, something caught his sight.

There was a man, obviously a janitor, lazily sweeping the floor. He was definitely attractive, and Eren was surprised he could think of a man like that. The man was short, about Petras height, and had piercing grey eyes, silky looking black hair with an undershave, and he was obviously fit. The thing that stuck out to Eren, though, was the large scratch on the side of his face. Eren was too far away to see the severity, but it even looked nasty from a distance. The man stopped abruptly and stretched, then, much to Erens surprise, looked his way. They locked gazes for a second, then the man went back to his work, sweeping until he was out of sight.

"Eren, earth to Eren." Petra called, "Are you alright?"

Eren shook his head and looked back at her, "yeah, i'm fine. Lets get going, yeah? I want to get used to these faces quick."

A smile lit up Petra's face and she obliged, leading Eren once more.

Eren had only met a couple more people. A girl, named Annie, who seemed dismissive and apathetic, only focused on work. Then a boy named Jean. There was an air to Jean the irritated Eren. He was cocky. Eren didn't show it of course, but he silently told himself to leave Jean alone.

Eren was sitting with Petra and Sasha now. Their day was over and they decided to go get a meal at a sandwich place across the road.

"So, Eren, how was your first day? Do you like everyone?" Sasha said, taking a giant bite out of her apple.

Eren wiped off the corner of his mouth and smiled, "yeah everyone is pretty nice."

"Sorry about Annie," Petra said with a smile, "Everyone knows she can be a little endearing but shes nice under all of that. Shes really a kind person."

Eren nodded. He wondered if he should ask them about that janitor who, for some reason, was stuck in the back of his mind. He cleared his throat, "So, do janitors have any significance at work?" He asked.

Petra stopped eating and shot a look at sasha, who smiled.

"You're asking about Levi." Sasha stated. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words came out. How'd they know who I was talking about?

"He is the one with the weird haircut. Short. That is who you're talking about, right?" Sasha asked.

Eren swallowed dryly, "yeah."

Sasha laughed and so did Petra. "He's hot, huh?" Sasha giggled. Eren felt his face heat up.

"Don't get too comfortable with the idea of talking to him, or becoming friends with him. He's not the friendly type, Eren. Kinda like Annie to an extreme." Petra shrugged.

"What was with the scratch on his cheek? Does he come in like that often?"

Sasha nodded, "It's a new mark every week. Wonder what the cause could be."

Eren twiddled his thumbs as silence fell, everyone wondering the same thing.

"I'm going to talk to him tomorrow," Eren said flatly, "I'll do it."

When Eren walked in the door, the house was completely silent. Mikasa was at work until 5, so Eren had an hour to kill. He headed to his bathroom and stripped down, then turned on the shower, climbing in and letting the hot water fall over him, relaxing his muscles. What would he say to Levi? He could approach him on break. Once again, what would be say?

'Wonderful weather we're having.'

'So what's up with that mark on your cheek?'

Eren let out a puff of breath. Why was he nervous? All he's doing is talking to another guy. Whatever. He washed himself and climbed out, slipping into some basketball shorts and a faded Coca Cola t-shirt. He wandered into his room and fooled around, reading a few passages from one of Armin's books and watching a little bit of television.

An hour later he heard the front door creak open, and he jogged downstairs to meet Mikasa. She looked tired and beat.

"Hey," Eren greeted.

"Yeah, hey." she said, walking over to the fridge and pulling out last nights leftovers, popping them in the microwave.

"How was work?" he asked, taking a seat at the counter.

"Really tiring. I'm completely and utterly exhausted." She turned to face him, "How about you?"

"It was good. The people were nice. A few of us went to get a bite to eat after work."

Mikasa pursed her lips, "so you're not hungry?" Eren shook his head and she went and took the leftovers out of the microwave with a sigh. Eren, sensing his sisters stress, came up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. She turned around, "go take a bath or something, Mikasa. Go relax." Eren said. She gave him a small smile and patted his chest, happily obeying.

Eren dumped the leftovers and wiped the counters clean. He made Mikasa a bowl of tortilla soup and sprinkled shredded cheese in it, just like she liked. He went to sit on the couch and switched on the TV. Mikasa came down and smiled at the soup, taking the bowl and ruffling Erens hair as she sat down. They sat together and watched TV for awhile until Mikasa spoke up.

"Dad called today. He said Wales is rainy. He said hi and that he loves you." Eren smiled at that. and nodded. The rest of the evening passed quietly.

When Eren arrived to work the next day, Irvin waved him over.

"I need you to go out back really quick. Theres some stacks of catalogs. Bring those to Jean when you're done, alright?"

Eren nodded and walked around. After a good 10 minutes, he found a door leading to the back. He walked out and scanned the area, looking for the catalogs. When he finally saw them, he audibly groaned. There were 3 huge stacks. Did Irvin really expect him to carry all these back on his own? Eren carefully approached the stacks and tried lifting one. He was surprised at how heavy it was. Fuck, it was just paper. He heaved it into his arms with an 'oof' and headed back towards the door. Shit, how was he going to get it open? He tried to snake a hand under the stack, but ended up almost dropping the entire thing on his foot. He let out a frustrated groan.

"Oi." He heard a voice say. He spun around and looked behind him, and was almost scared to death by none other than Levi, standing against the wall, taking a long drag from a cigarette. Shit, how had Eren not seen him?

"You scared the fucking crap out of me," Eren breathed, setting the catalogs down. Levi took one last puff of his cig then dashed it to the ground, stomping it to put it out.

"You're struggling." Levi stated. Eren couldn't get past his voice… there was something about it that made Eren want to listen to it for hours on end. Then he realized he could finally get a good look at the wound on Levi's face. It wasn't that bad. It looked like a cat had clung to his face and dragged its claws, which was much better than what Eren thought it would be like. He got a good look at all of Levis features; his nose was perfectly carved, his jaw was chiseled and defined. He was cleanly shaven. Eren saw a long scar across Levi's neck. What was it from? Finally, Eren looked into Levi's smooth grey eyes which, to his embarrassment, were filled with amusement. Eren snapped out of it and started blushing profusely when Levi plastered a smirk on his face.

"Brat, are you done checking me out?"

Erens jaw was flying up and down like a fishes', "I- I was-" His cheeks were burning, "why'd you call me a brat?"

"Do you want me to help you with those or not?" He asked, gesturing to the stack of catalogs. Eren nodded quickly and picked them up, and Levi opened the door for him.

Eren carried them a short way to Jean, then ran back for more. When everything was done, Eren muttered a thank you to Levi and prepared to go inside.

"Hey, kid" Levi called.

"Hm?" Eren asked, surprised.

"What's your name?"

"E-eren."

He popped his knuckles, "Meet me out here during your break. Im out every half hour for a smoke break."

Eren nodded and went back inside, heart pounding in his ears. He couldn't wait till break time.

Eren took a breath and opened the door, and sure enough, there was Levi, who had just started a new cigarette.

"Oi. Come over here." Eren complied, walking up beside Levi, "You ever smoked?" Eren shook his head, "You wanna try?" Levi questioned.

Eren had never been presented with the chance to smoke. "Are they light?"

Levi nodded, "Trying to quit," It remained quiet until Levi spoke again, "You just want a drag of mine? I dont wanna waste a whole cigarette if you're not gonna enjoy it."

Eren hesitated before saying, "Okay." Levi handed his cig over, and Eren took a long drag before handing the cig over and letting the smoke flow out of his mouth. There was a small stinging sensation in his lungs. "Are they menthol?"

Levi shook his head.

"Well, it was minty."

"I just spit out my mint gum."

Erens face heated up once more. The taste of mint was from Levis own mouth. "Why'd you invite me out here?" Eren questioned.

Levi remained expressionless, "Why not?"

"Well, some people told me you're not usually… social." Eren bit his lip. It was hot out here.

"I'm not." He took a final puff from the cig and stomped it out once more.

"Then why…" Eren trailed off.

Levi turned towards him and gave him an annoyed look, "would you rather i not be? Because I'm pretty good at it."

Eren turned beet red, "N-no! That's not what i meant. I- I was just curious."

Levi rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall.

"Sorry," Eren grumbled, heading for the door.

"Eren."

He turned around. Levi stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Fucking brat, don't be over emotional. Lets go get a bite to eat."

Eren was conflicted on whether to feel insulted or happy; and he didn't care to choose.


	2. 2 - Rain

-Chap. 2

It was a laid back restaurant, a burger place. Eren had to approve of Levi's taste. You could never go wrong with a burger place.

"Levi!" Squawked an overly happy woman, who came bounding up to him.

"Hanji." Levi said with a nod.

"Who's this? He's a cutie," The woman said with a smile. She had messy brown hair, similar to Erens color, and thick goggle-like glasses.

"I'm Eren. A new coworker."

"Hi Eren, Im Hanji, a old friend of Levi's," she gave a genuine smile, "I'll get you two seat, all right? Just follow me."

They found a nice cushy booth in the corner of the restaurant, and Hanji handed them menus.

"Wow, they've got a large variety." Eren commented as he looked through the menu.

"Mmmm," Levi hummed as he stretched.

"What do you recommend?"

"Everything" This earned a chuckle out of Eren.

"Thats a hard decision."

Levi yawned and absent mindedly ran a finger over the wound on his cheek.

"So what happened? With your cheek." Eren asked nervously.

"Tch. Nothing you need to know about," Levi said bitterly. Eren furrowed his brows.

"Sorry, just trying to make conversation." He directed his attention back to the menu, "I think i'll get the bacon cheeseburger."

"Yeah. Good choice." Levi said. Eren was beginning to become annoyed. Why would this man invite him to lunch if he was going to act bored? He seemed like he didn't even want to have lunch with Eren.

Eren cleared his throat. Whatever, he'd just have to try hard to initiate conversation, "So, uh, how long have you been working?"

Levi balanced his head on his palm and stirred his iced tea, "Since it opened."

"Oh, thats cool. Do you like your job?" Eren asked nervously.

"Not really."

"Then why have you worked there for so long?"

Levi sighed, "Irvin is a long time friend," and Eren was surprised to see a small smile tug at the corners of Levi's mouth, "plus it would become filthy without me."

Eren chuckled, the air around them becoming lighter, "you sound like my sister. She always likes everything to be clean. It can get kind of irritating, but it's better than living in filth."

"Smart girl."

Just as the awkward silence started to settle over, Hanji came bounding up to the table, "So, have you decided on what to get?"

"The usual," Levi said flatly.

"I'll have the bacon cheeseburger. With potato salad." Levi clicked his tongue, earning a confused look out of Eren, "what?"

"Nothing."

"Alright, i'll have it out soon." Hanji smiled widely.

Eren cleared his throat, "So how long have you known Hanji?"

"A few years."

Eren decided to try again, "What about Irvin?"

"A long time."

"How did you guys get to know each other?"

Levi let out an exasperated sigh, "Oi, stop asking questions. Its not your place to know some things."

Eren rolled his eyes angrily, "Well then how the hell are we supposed to get to know each other?"

Levi's face remained emotionless.

"Ugh. Sorry, i'll just go. I have no clue why you invited me here in the first place, then you won't talk to me, so what's the use of staying?" Eren grabbed his jacket and was about to stand up, when Levi spoke up.

"Sit down, brat."

Eren couldn't believe his ears. What was with this guy?! He's rude and unresponsive, then insists on calling Eren a brat.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

Eren sat angrily, Levi ran a hand through his hand.

"I'm not very good at social interaction. Sorry if i don't respond well." Levi spoke, looking off somewhere to the side.

Eren's anger softened again, "Okay. Sorry."

"Stop apologizing all the time, kid. Nobody like someone like that."

Eren was about to retort when Hanji showed up suddenly, food in hand, "Here we are! One chicken and parmesan panini for Levi," she set the food down, "And a bacon cheeseburger for… oh darn, i forgot your name."

"Eren," Eren, said giving her a gentle smile.

"Well duh! Thanks, and here you go" Hanji set the food down and smiled widely at the two, then went back to work.

Eren immediately dug in, not noticing how hungry he was until now. He groaned aloud as he bit into the burger. It was easily the best thing he had ever tasted, "Holy fucking hell."

Levi took a small bite out of his sandwich, leaning over his plate as to not get crumbs everywhere.

"Is it good?" Eren asked

Levi rolled his eyes, "Why else would i order it every time I'm in here?"

Eren sighed, "Right."

Levi scanned his face for a second. Finally, he reached over to Eren's plate and took half of his burger, replacing it with half of his panini.

"Thanks," Eren said, taking a bite of the panini, "wow, it is really good."

They ate in silence and when Hanji came over to take their plates, both Levi and Eren were pleasantly surprised when she insisted that they didn't have to pay. They hopped into Levi's car and drove back to work. When Eren was about to step out of the car, Levi stopped him.

"Oi, Eren."

Eren turned to him, surprised, "Yeah?"

"I'd appreciate it if you stopped by when i took my smoke breaks."

Eren's brows laced together. Why did he want that? How was he supposed to find the time? By sneaking away? Before he had a chance to respond, Levi was getting out of the car and walking into the building. Eren followed, still confused by Levi's request.

When he walked in, he was greeted with Sasha folding clothes. She looked up and him and smiled happily, "Hello, Eren! How was your break?"

He smiled back, "It was good. You wouldn't believe who took me to lunch."

Sasha gasped, "Oooo, who?"

Eren smiled and leaned close, "Levi."

Sasha clapped a hand over her mouth. Eren chuckled at her reaction.

"Where did you guys go? Oh my goodness, I can't believe this. Who knew he'd be one to swing for the other team?"

Eren's eyes widened, "Hey, now, lets not make quick decisions, maybe he was just being friendly."

Sasha rolled her own eyes, and was about to say something when Irvin walked by. They should get back to work.

After about an hour, Eren found the time to sneak out back and was happy to see Levi there. He looked awfully cool while smoking, even if it was bad for him.

Eren approached, "Hey." Levi nodded, then beckoned for him to come closer.

"You want one?" He asked, just like last time. Eren shook his head. "Would you rather just smoke from mine?"

Eren thought for a second, "No, i wouldn't want to shorten your breaks."

Levi shook his head, "I wouldn't offer if i didn't mind."

Eren was hesitant, then said "Okay. I'll just smoke from yours."

Levi handed the cigarette over to the boy, who brought it up to his lips and took a drag way bigger than he intended to, and he went into a fit of coughing, and handed the damned thing back to Levi with a shaky hand. Levi just chuckled, "you'll get used to it."

They stood there for a few minutes, Levi slowly finishing his cigarette, "so how old are you exactly?"

The question caught Eren off guard. "I'm 18. I'll Be 19 in August."

Levi nodded and took another drag.

"What about you?" Eren asked cautiously.

Levi sighed and threw the cigarette to the ground, grinding it into the gravel with the heel of his shoe, "25. 26 in October."

Eren was surprised, "You look younger."

"I moisturize," Levi said, a smile playing on his lips. Eren laughed loudly, glad to know the man had some sense of humor.

They stayed quiet for a couple minutes.

"Hey, why did you invite me to join you for your smoke breaks?"

Levi shrugged, "You seem okay, besides asking some utterly stupid questions."

Eren wrinkled his nose, "Thanks? I don't really know how to interpret that."

Levi chuckled, walking towards the building, "Then don't interpret it any way," He swung the door open, "See you tomorrow."

He was gone before Eren had a chance to respond.

-x-

When the work day ended, Eren headed outside to walk to the bus stop, and was angry and disappointed when he was met with the smell of rain, along with the sound of thunder. In a feeble attempt of keeping dry, Eren shoved himself into his jacket, Then pulled the hood as far over his face as it would go. Reluctantly, he stepped out into the rain. His jacket was soaked through and through by the time he reached the bus stop.

It was 5:30 when Eren got home, meaning Mikasa was probably already home, too. Sure enough, she was sitting at the dining table when he got home.

"Oh, good, you're home. And soaked," She sighed, "Go change, we're going to a party."

"Mikasa, I really don't feel like-"

"Armins going. He really wants you there."

I narrowed my eyes and reluctantly made my way upstairs, stripping down and slipping into warm, dry, clothes. I marched back downstairs, and headed out the door with Mikasa.

"So who's party is this?"

Mikasa shrugged, "Remember Connie Springer? Yeah. His parents are out of town and he's just throwing a small party so everyone can catch up."

"Why'd he invite you? You graduated last year."

She shot me a look, "Its possible to be friends with people older than you, Eren."

Levi flashed into Eren's mind and he immediately shut up.

Mikasa had been right when she said 'small' party. Only a handful of people were there. He spotted Armin immediately, and headed over.

"Hey, Armin" Eren said, plopping down beside him.

Armins face lit up, "Eren, thank god. I was starting to get nervous, I barely know anyone here."

"Yeah, I'm surprised you actually decided to-" Eren was cut off by loud laughing behind him.

"Yo, Jaeger, what are you doing here?" Eren scrunched his face up and turned around to see a red-cheeked Jean. Eren tried to act as pleasantly as he could, he still didn't know this guy very well.

"I came here with my sister."

Jean looked confused, "Who?"

Mikasa tapped his shoulder and he turned around, "Shit, Mikasa. You're his sister? You guys look nothing alike."

"She's my adoptive sister," Eren furrowed his brows, "Aren't you like, 20 something? Why are you here?"

Jean laughed, "Naw, man, i'm 19. I graduated with your sister." Jean slung an arm around Mikasa, who gave a small smile.

"Cool." Was all Eren could say before turning back to Armin.

"What's with him?" Armin asked, leaning back on the couch and sloshing his beer around. Eren took notice on how the beer was almost completely full. Armin knew better than to drink.

"I work with him." Eren said, taking the beer away from Armin and taking a drink. Armin didn't mind. He wasn't drinking it anyways.

"How is work anyways? You started what, yesterday?"

Eren nodded and yawned, "Yeah. Its okay, I guess. You know how small this town is. Even though its like, the most active store besides the grocery store, it still pretty boring. The people are nice."

"Yeah? Thats good."

"How about you? Hows your work going?" Eren asked sarcastically. Armin didn't work.

Armin rolled his eyes, "I've been going down to the lake and fishing and reading. Just lazy stuff. It's all pretty boring."

Eren spoke up about a subject that's been bothering him, "What about college, Armin?"

Armin got tense, "Uh, yeah… I was going to tell you this weekend. I… I got accepted into Rosewell."

Eren covered his face. His mood was ruined. Rosewell was 8 hours away. Even though, it was the regions best school. Eren always knew Armin and him would be separated when it came to college; Armin was an amazing student and exceptionally intelligent. Eren had always been average. The thought of him and Armin being separated had been in the back of his mind since they entered their senior year, "Do you want to go to Rosewell?"

Armin spoke in a quiet voice, "Yeah, Eren. I do."

Eren uncovered his face and gave Armin a sad smile, ruffling his bright blond hair, "I'm happy for you. You deserve it, man."

Armin's eye's brimmed with tears, "Thanks, Eren. That really means a lot."

So they sat there. Armin talked about mythological nonsense and Eren drank. Eren drank quite a bit. Okay, Eren drank a lot.

By the end of the party, Mikasa practically had to carry him to the car.

-x-

Eren gasped loudly and snapped upright at his alarm.

"Jesus fucking christ," He said through gritted teeth as he angrily switched the alarm off. The sound seemed 30 times louder than usual.

What the fuck happened to me last night? Eren thought as he swung his legs off of the bed and did his morning routine. During his shower, he got shampoo in his eyes. This day was going to be shitty.

-x-

Eren welcomed the cold air that rushed against his skin when when he went inside his place of employment, but he sure as hell didn't welcome the bright lights. He went to clock in and begin his work, glad that nobody was messing with him. He must have looked angry and, well, hungover because even Sasha just waved.

He was folding a load of t-shirts that someone had rudely knocked onto the floor when a hand landed on his shoulder. Eren almost jumped out of his skin when he spun around to see Levi, mop in hand and his usual unreadable expression plastered on his face.

"Jeez kid, calm down. What's crawled up your panties? You look like you're just angry at the entire world."

"Nothing," Eren mumbled. Levi was too pale. The light bounced off of his skin and intensified his headache.

"Not buying it."

"I'm just having a rough day." I sighed.

Levi shrugged, "You up for lunch today?"

"Not really."

Levi turned around and started mopping down the aisle, "Cool. I'll see you at 1."

Eren groaned.

-x-

It was pouring when 1:00 rolled around and Eren wasn't feeling any better. He headed to the door leading out back, and found Levi leaning against the door frame, looking outside.

"Hey," Eren said tiredly.

"You look awful."

"Yeah. Thanks." Eren ran a hand through his hair, "Can we just go? I want to get this day over with."

"Hey kid, look at me." Eren looked, and Levi narrowed his eyes and searched Eren's. Levi had a new scratch above his eyebrow. It was small, but it was there,

"You're hungover, yeah?"

Eren shot him a look, "Yeah."

"Tch."

"Can we please just go?" Eren asked, "I'm just really exhausted."

"Yeah." Levi pulled up his hood and as did Eren, and they walked out into the rain.

They didn't go to Hanjis restaurant, instead they went to a little tiny shell of a restaurant.

"What's this place?"

"Its a restaurant, what do you think? They've got good food for hangovers."

They walked in and surprisingly enough, none of the servers seemed to recognize Levi.

"You should order the chicken and dumpling soup. I have it every time i have a hangover." Levi suggested, resting his head on his hand.

"Okay," Eren mumbled, grinding the palms of his hands into his eyes, trying to erase the headache. Levi watched him, almost feeling sorry for the poor kid. He must not get hangovers often.

"What made you want to drink?" Levi asked.

"I was just at a party," Eren grumbled, colors popping under his eyelids and he rubbed his eyes harder.

"Hm."

"What?" Eren snapped, letting his hands fall to the table.

"Didn't take you for the type that drank recreationally."

"You shouldn't take me as anything. You don't even know me."

Levi frowned slightly, "Stop being bratty. Well, if i'm not allowed to make assumptions about you until I know you, I might as well get to know you, hm?

Eren felt his expression soften, "Fine. What do you want to know?"

Levi shrugged and looked out the window, watching the rain, "Just talk."

Eren sucked in a breath. He was about to begin when the waitress came over to take their orders. Levi ordered a BLT and Eren ordered what Levi had recommended.

"Anyways," Eren began after she was gone, "Yeah. Well my last name is Jaeger, just so you know. I have an adopted sister named Mikasa. Her parents, who were my parents best friends, died in a car crash when Mikasa was, like, 9. So my parents took her in. Shes a year older than me. We all were really happy until a few years ago, i think i was 15. I don't really remember, that year was really a blur for me" Eren felt his heart clench when he thought about what he was going to say next, "My mom… she, uh, passed away. Congestive heart failure. She had a really high blood pressure, and passed away in her sleep," Eren gulped and looked at Levi, who was still looking out the window. It looked as if his expression had softened, "I.. Really don't know much of what happened after her death, I got really depressed and Mikasa stopped being bubbly and happy, and my dad started going on 'business trips'. I kind of felt like I was just kind of bringing everyone around me down with my presence, and just generally shitty. I mistreated my best friend, Armin, and i made him cry a lot. I still feel like crap for that." Eren took a long drink of his water. Why was he telling this guy, who he barely knew, his life story? Eren didn't really dwell on that and continued speaking, "But then things got… Better. I don't know. Its kind of like it dawned on me that the world was literal shit, and that we've really got no choice but to go on, you know? So I snapped myself out of it, and as soon as i did, things started to get better. Everything's going really good, except my dad being gone all the time, leaving Mikasa and myself to make a living, which I guess is going okay." Eren twiddled his thumbs, "and last night… Shit, last night it kind of felt like how I did when my mom passed away. Armin told me that he's going to Rosewell, you know Rosewell, right?" Levi nodded, "Yeah. It's like 8 hours away, and i know I should be happy for him, because he deserves the best education money can buy, but i didn't, and i still don't. And i feel like shit for it. I felt angry and numb, so I got drunk last night. So, there's your answer to that." Eren took another drink of his water.

Levi let his gaze sweep back to Eren, "Its sucks, kid."

"Yeah," Eren mumbled. It was quiet again and Eren spoke up, trying to lighten the mood, "I also like dogs, reading, music, and my favorite color is green. I like medical shows," He smiled, "If that was the type of information you were looking for in the first place, then there you go." Levi chuckled and Eren's happiness surged, joyful that his attempt was successful.

"How old was your mom?" Levi asked.

"38, i think."

"Mine was 45."

Eren's eyebrows shot up. Did Levi just tell him that his mom passed away?

"Levi, I-"

"Alright, here's your food," The waitress said happily, setting down their plates and clapping joyfully, "Let me know if i can get you anything."

****  
Eren didn't dare prod at Levi for information. They ate in silence.


	3. 3 - Books

-A 1st person POV chapter! Its experimental, really, to see which writing style I like more. Sorry to switch it up, but writing in 3rd person can get kind of frustrating. Anyways, Eren becomes a big ball of sad in this chapter. Poor baby. Frequent updates are kind of normal right now since i'm not in school yet, but they'll become less frequent when I go back.-

I woke up in a cold sweat, gripping my sheets. It took me a second to realize that i was not in fact attending my best friends funeral and listening to his Grandpa sob and whisper his name. No, I wasn't there, I was here in my bed, safe and warm. I glanced at the clock. 3:35 AM. I groaned.

After more than enough attempts to get comfortable, I finally made my way out of bed and switched my lamp onto the lowest setting, and grabbed a book from the middle of my floor, falling back on the bed with a 'plop'.

The book wasn't interesting. I slammed it shut and threw it on the floor then switched my lamp back off with a twinge of annoyance. I tightly shoved my pillow down onto my face and tried to concentrate.

Sleep never came.

It was times like this I hated most, times when I was completely left alone with my thoughts, and I did nothing to stop them when they came crashing into my mind, breaking down the walls and showing their bright faces. I welcomed them, but they knew I hated them.

They knew I hated them when I screamed into my pillow to get them to go away.

They were stupid thoughts that a 12 year old girl might think the night after her crush rejected her. They weren't the kind of thoughts an almost 19 year old boy should think. They were petty, but they still bothered the shit out of me.

I laid there and let my thoughts eat up my emotions until my alarm went off almost 6 hours later. I dragged myself out of bed and did my routine, mumbling my goodbyes to Mikasa without even grabbing a piece of toast. I wasn't hungry.

-x-

Work was shit. I'd only been there for a month and a half, and I had never thought it was shit until today. Today I thought that having a job and being apart of the 'working class' was overrated. Sure, I enjoyed some parts of it. I loved Sasha, Petra, Annie, and my smoke breaks with Levi that were composed of nothing but silence, the passing of a cigarette, and a few exchanged words about how our night was. I loved lunch with Levi, which were composed of silence also. Levi didn't talk much, and I had grown almost comfortable with it. I really wanted Levi to talk to me, though. I wanted him to talk to me about each knew wound he got. I wanted him to tell me what they were from. Of course he didn't, which brings me to the things I hate. I hate how Levi wont open up to me, even though thats what friends are supposed to do. I hated how Jean came up to me at some point every day with a gross smirk and some stupid remark about how hot Mikasa was. Whatever. I hated how the customers simply gave a fake smile when you told them to have a nice day. I hated how when I asked them how their day was going, they said 'good' and returned the question, and then walked away without even hearing my answer. God, I fucking hated that.

I must have looked like hell, because Sasha only gave me a wide smile instead of her usual, "Good morning, Eren!"

I walked around, doing my job half heartedly.

When 11:00 rolled around I decided i should probably go see Levi.

I walked out the back door and saw him leaning there, his head pressed to the back of the wall and his eyes closed. Today he had a scrape on his jaw.

"Hey," I mumbled, sitting down beside him cross legged.

"Hey," he said back. He looked down at me and took a drag from his cigarette, "Everything okay?"

I played with a strand of hair between my fingers, "No. Not really, no."

Levi squatted down and looked at me through hand. He handed me his cig and I took a puff, handing it back, "What's wrong? You look like hell, kid."

"Woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep."

Levi lowered himself to sit by me, "Is that really it?"

I looked over at him, "I just.. I don't know. I can't pinpoint it. It feels like theres a rock in my stomach, and that rock is my heart."

Levi nodded, "I feel you."

I turned his head so fast it nearly gave me whiplash, a strange irritation washing over me, "What happened to your jaw, Levi?"

Levi stopped smoking and let white smoke flow from his nostrils and mouth, "Its not your place to-"

"Don't give me that shit, Levi," I sneered, "We've been friends for like, two fucking months and you've told me next to nothing about you."

Levi simply stared at me, and I kind of regretted my words, even though they were true. I felt small and guilty under his gaze.

"My uncle smashed my face into a small pile of glass." He said, remaining absolutely expressionless.

I sucked in a breath through my teeth, a sudden wave of guilt hitting me, "Oh god, Levi, I'm so fucking sorry, i didn't think it was anything-"

"Just.. Just shut up, Jaeger. We're both in pretty shitty moods." Levi clenched his jaw and looked away. I wanted to touch him. I just wanted to reach out and touch him, to caress that scrape and kiss it. Wanted to make him feel better, to make all his worries go away.

It scared me that i wanted to do that. I stood up and brushed off my jeans. Levi handed me his cig, and i took a short puff before handing it back. He continued to look away. I sighed, "I'll see you at lunch."

-x-

I dove into my sandwich, hungrily biting off mouthfuls at a time. Levi looked at me like I was an animal, and I blushed slightly, trying to push back my animalistic hunger so I could at least seem civilized.

Levi brushed off his mouth and spoke up first, to my surprise, "So are you feeling better? Better than this morning, I mean."

I shrugged and swallowed a large bite of burger, "I guess. I mean, this place just kind of makes me happy. It's calm. I never really thanked you for taking me here. So, thanks."

It was Levi's turn to shrug, "You're welcome, I guess."

Our lunch passed in silence, as usual.

When we reached the store again, Levi asked me a question.

"What kind of books do you read, Jaeger?" He asked, looking out the window. I scanned the back on his head, seeing that the scar on his throat ended where his jaw line started.

"I- I don't really have a preference. I usually just read whatever Armin leaves over. A lot of mythological books. Some novels, too. I'm reading The Chronicles Of Narnia right now. And a lot of Stephen King, stuff, too."

Levi cleared his throat, and asked me almost shyly, "Do you think you could lend me a few?"

I was speechless for a second, then cleared my throat, "Yeah, I can lend you a few."

"Thanks, kid. I'll see you later," Levi muttered, getting out of the car.

The rest of the day passed quickly. I didn't feel like going to see Levi again.

-x-

"I'm home" I said as i entered, and found Mikasa and Armin sitting on the couch, watching a 'Friends' rerun.

I plopped down on the couch and they looked at me, "What's up?" I ask, worried by their gazes.

Mikasa rolled her eyes, "We're going over to Jeans for a party. I told you like 3 times last night." I shrugged.

"I'll pass."

"Eren…" Armin said in a whiny voice. I groaned loudly and covered my face, "I don't want to go! I'm tired."

"Eren." Armin demanded.

"What?!" I yelled, "I said i don't want to go! Jeans a fucking asshole, I don't want to go."

"You're the only one who doesn't like Jean." Mikasa said, her cold glare piercing directly into me.

"You should hear what he says at work," I mumbled.

"I really want to go to this party and I want you to be there, alright?" Armin blurted, "Can you just get up so we can go to the party for fucks sake?"

I pushed myself off of the couch, "NO. I already told you, I had a fucking rough day!" I slammed my way upstairs, banging the door loudly. I heard them leave a few minutes later, the front door closing as angrily as I had closed mine.

I was happy to be alone. It wasn't the type of alone I experienced this morning, though. It was a happy alone. I fixed myself a bowl of macaroni and sat myself on the couch. I watched 'Bizarre ER' until my heart was content, then I jacked off. I didn't do it out of arousal, I did it out of boredom.

My body didn't seem to mind, though.

I read after my fun was over. I read, and read, and read. I absorbed every word on every page. I couldn't wait to give Levi these books, he'd enjoy them.

I sang along to a sad song as I washed the dishes, and I mumbled those words until i fell asleep.

I slept peacefully that night.

-x-

I was giddy for work today; I was giddy to see Levi and give him my books, and explain to him what each one was about. I was giddy until I made my way out back, and saw that Levi wasn't there.

I kept my eyes out for Levi all day, and I never found him. When lunch rolled around I just went to the break room.

"Oh, Eren!" Petra exclaimed when I entered.

I waved.

Jean looked up at me from his sandwich. I looked at him and nodded. I wasn't really in the mood to be rude.

"I'm glad you came today, Eren, I made cookies for everyone," Petra said, a smile tugging at her lips. I laughed at her and took a cookie. Petra was cute, I had to admit. I would probably be all over her if I was straight. Well, it wasn't that I wasn't straight, but the way i thought about Levi made me think that I most likely was not straight. Maybe I liked both, I don't know.

"Did you bring lunch?" Annie asked from the back of the room. She had a bowl of rice and sesame chicken in front of her, along with a thick book.

"Uh, no, I usually go out to eat for lunch." I scratched the back of my head.

"Why didn't you go today?" Jean asked with a mouthful of sandwich.

I looked down and crumbled a piece of cookie in my hand, "I didn't have a ride."

"I would have gone with you!" Petra exclaimed happily. I smiled, "Yeah, thanks, Petra. I'm perfectly fine here. Don't really spend much time with you guys."

"Eren, come over here." Annie said, not looking up from her book. I took my cookie and went over to her. I sat down at the same time she set her book down.

"Hi," I said, taking one last bite of the cookie. They were really fucking good.

"You go to lunch with Levi, don't you?" Annie said in a quiet voice, looking sideways at me through her bangs.

I felt my face heat up. Why was it heating up? Ugh, "Yeah. How'd you know?"

"He's not here today, and you decided to join us for lunch," She shrugged and scooped some rice into her mouth, "I thought Levi had looked a little happier."

"W-what?" I asked, staring at her like she was crazy.

A smile bloomed across her face, "Levi doesn't really get along with people, Eren. The fact that he accepted going to lunch with you is amazing, and you've only been here for a month and a half."

I looked away, my whole face tingling, "He offered to take me."

Annies eyebrows shot up, "Wow, thats even more impressive. He must like you."

I shrugged, "I guess. I think I'm there to keep him company, not for friendship. I know next to nothing about him."

Annie finished off the last of her lunch and wiped her mouth "Well, what do you know?"

"I… I don't think he would want me telling people. No offense."

"Eren, I've known Levi since i was 8 years old."

I whipped my up to look at her, "What?"

"It's a complicated story. Levi should tell you, not me. He's a tough cookie to crack, Eren. He's emotionally damaged to where he's only, like, halfway salvageable. So that brings me back to my point. The fact that you know something about his personal life is impressive. Once again, what do you know?"

"Well, I-I know that his mom died."

Annie nodded, "I thought so," She paused, "Do you know how she died?"

"No."

"Mmm. Okay, go ahead."

"The only other thing I know is that his uncle hurt him," I looked at her and she met my gaze, "I-I think that he's being abused by his uncle? I… don't really know, but yesterday he told me that the scratch on his face was from his uncle shoving him into a small pile of glass."

Annie sucked in a breath, "Wow. Wasn't expecting him to tell you that."

I laced my brows together, "Why?"

She shook her head, "He doesn't open up easily."

"I know that. I barely know anything…" Annie sighed at my words.

"Eren," she said in a soft tone, "Levi's fucked up. Levi's really fucked up. You can't expect him to just open up to a kid he barely know, okay? He'll tell you eventually. I'm just happy to see him acting like an actual person. Just keep in mind the fact that you seem to be the reason why he is. Whenever he closes himself off, just remember that."

My alarm went off. Break was over.

-x-

As usual, it was pouring rain when I walked out. I sighed and tugged my hood over my head, shifting my bag of books. I made my way through the parking lot slowly, kicking some rocks.

"Jaeger."

I froze immediately and looked around.

"I'm right here, you idiot." Levi hissed, and I looked to my left, seeing his head stick out of his window. I walked over to him quickly.

"Levi? What are you doing here?"

Levi rolled his eyes, "I work here?"

I clenched my jaw, "But the work day is over."

Levi rolled his eyes once more, "I was being sarcastic, Jaeger." I can't say I liked the fact that he started calling me by my last name, but i wasn't going to complain.

"Oh," I looked off to the side, "Why weren't you working today?"

Levi sighed, "Get in the car."

"But-"

"Just get in the fucking car. Don't try to argue, I'm really not in the mood."

"Yeah, you've made that clear," I sneered as I walked around to the passenger door and got in. I made a point to slam the door.

"Are those books?" Levi asked, nodding in the general direction on my bad.

"Yeah. I could have given them to you earlier if you were here. Which brings me back to my question. Why weren't you here?" I asked once more, taking the books out of my bag and setting them on my lap.

Levi chuckled, "I just didn't feel like working."

"Right," I sighed, remembering what Annie had said earlier.

"What books do you have?" Levi asked.

"A bunch of different ones." I answered simply.

Awkward silence settled over as we both sat there. I twiddled my thumbs, not wanting the be the first to speak for once. Levi grabbed onto the steering wheel and let out a long sigh.

"I'll drive you home. I'll get you there a lot drier and quicker than the bus." He finally said, his car coming to life.

The car ride was silent, of course, and nobody muttered a goodbye when I got out of the car.

-x-

Mikasa was draped across the couch and I was sitting on the floor, absorbed into one of my shows. I don't even really remember what it's called.

"Dad called again today." Mikasa said with a sigh.

"What'd he say?" I asked half heartedly, still watching TV.

"He's in Wales for another 2 months." She muttered.

"Of course." I say coldly.

Mikasa cleared her throat "Do you think he has, like, a second family?" I looked back at her with a crazy look.

"Maybe. I don't know, and I don't really care. He's not even pleasant when he's here, so lets be happy he's gone."

Mikasa rolled her eyes, "We can't live off of minimum wage forever."

"Well, we can manage until we go to school."

"Have you applied anywhere?" She asked, swinging her legs off of the couch and sitting upright.

"No," I grumbled. I hated talking about my future, especially with pushy Mikasa, "Have you?"

She shrugged, "No."

"You should. You've been out of school for a year now," I said, climbing up on the couch to sit by her.

"I do what I want, Eren. I'm not really even sure I'm ready to go. I'll probably end up going when I'm, like, 30."

"Okay, okay. I can just imagine that it'd be better than coming home tired and exhausted every day."

Mikasa sighed loudly and leaned back, letting silence wash over. I turned my attention back to the show.

"You know Armin is still mad at you, right?"

I groaned, "I just got back into my show, Mikasa."

"You can't keep running away from your problems."

Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. She was right, I was being a big baby. I just sighed again."

"You should talk to him," She said, rising up from her spot, "I'm going to my room." She ruffled my hair then made her way upstairs, yelling from the top, "Talk to Armin!"

-x-

"Hey, Armin. Call me back when you get a chance." I said, in the happiest tone I could manage. I had called him 3 times. I guess he was mad at me.

It was 9:30 at night, and I the rock-in-stomach feeling had returned. It bugged me. It bugged me a lot. I sighed and rolled out of bed. I pulled on a hoodie and a pair of jeans. I probably looked crazy, considering it was the hottest part of summer. Whatever.

"Mikasa, I'm going out," I said, grabbing the keys and swinging out the door, making my way to the car.

I didn't really know where to go, so I drove around and settled on a place. The tiny shell of a restaurant that Levi took me to when I was hungover. I parked and went in quickly.

The place wasn't that bad; it was the type of restaurant you would expect to find in a small town.

"Hello," A waitress said, smiling at me, "You can just sit anywhere you'd like."

I mumbled a thanks and kept my eyes down as I walked, choosing the table where Levi and Ii had sat last time, plopping down. The waitress handed me a menu and I looked over it lazily. I wasn't particularly hungry, I just wanted to go somewhere. I lifted my head and scanned the restaurant. There was a couple whispering to each other and giggling, a few men eating and talking among themselves, and there was a particularly sad looking girl staring into her cup of coffee. Then...then something caught my eye.

It was Levi. Oh god, it was Levi. He was hunched over a book, looking peaceful, but I knew he wasn't. I could tell he wasn't by the split lip he had, and by the finger-like bruises that spread across his throat. Jesus _christ_.

"L-Levi?" I managed to force his name out of my throat, and surprisingly he heard me, looking up and locked gazes with me immediately.

**** His face went blank and unreadable. He set the book down and opened his mouth, but nothing came out.


	4. 4 - Open

-Sticking with 1st person again! I like it a lot more that 3rd person. This chapter gets kind of graphic and mentions drugs, so I'm really really sorry if it makes you feel uncomfortable! Enjoy the Levi feels in this one (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ-

"Levi," I asked, my voice shaking, "Can you come over here?"

Levi gulped, and for a second I thought he was going to leave the restaurant. That thought was crushed when he sat down across from me, bringing his stuff with him. He didn't look at me, but he did talk to me.

"What are you doing here, Jaeger? You have to work tomorrow." He threaded a hand through his hair.

"I wanted to get out of the house," I said, my voice still shaky, "You have to be at work tomorrow, too."

Levi shook his head, "I'm not going."

"Why?"

He brought his eyes up to mine, and they were swirling with an emotion I couldn't put my finger on. It was my turn to avert his gaze now, focusing on the couple that had gotten closer since I had gotten here.

"Fucking look at me, Eren." Levi said, his voice just as shaky as mine. I brought my eyes up to his and his gaze was absolutely piercing.

"Why do you think I'm not working tomorrow?"

Guilt washed over me, "I'm sorry." Levi didn't reply.

It was minutes before anyone spoke.

"Did your uncle do this?" I asked, my voice so quiet that I was surprised Levi heard me.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"I don't know," Levi rubbed the back of his neck, "He's an angry person, Jaeger."

"Why?" I asked again quietly, desperately wanting him to open up.

"Fuck, Eren, how would I know?" Levi said angrily, rolling his eyes. I stayed silent and swallowed hard.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, i didn't mean to snap like that. Hey, look at me," Levi said, a new softness in his voice. I looked at him, "I'm sorry. Okay? I'm in a shitty mood. You don't deserve to be dragged into it."

I frowned, "Maybe I want to be."

"You don't."

"Okay, maybe not. But I at least want to know."

Levi sighed, "You don't give up, huh?"

"Not really."

"You're hard headed."

"I know."

Levi clicked his tongue, "Why do you even want to know about me, kid? I'm not… I'm not something that you want to know about."

"Thats debatable."

"Not really," Levi rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Why do you care…"

I wrapped my hand around his cup of coffee and took a sip, "Because… I just do, Levi. I don't know why. If I had a choice, I wouldn't. But I do, and I'm kind of stuck here, wanting to know and wanting to help, for no reason except the fact that I care."

Levi's eyes had closed, and he took a deep breath. I wasn't prepared for what he said next.

"I watched my mom die when I was 13," He roamed his eyes over my shocked face before continuing, "I came home from school one day and saw some guy beating the shit out of her. I was 13, I couldn't do much. So I sat there and I watched the fucker kill her. He bashed her head in with his foot and turned around to see me standing there, and he told me if i told anyone that he'd fucked me up, although I can't think of what would fuck me up more than seeing my mom killed in front of my eyes. So I didn't say anything. I sat by her. I don't know how long, but i sat by her dead body for a long time. Finally my uncle came over and saw us, saw me, and thats that," He took another deep breath, hands visibly shaking as he took a long sip of coffee from his cup.

"And thats when everything turned to shit and stone, Jaeger. My uncle was my guardian after that, and he royally fucked. me. up. He's a guy who sits on his ass drinking Heineken all day and collecting disability benefits because he fucked his knee up, and he takes out his years and years of rage on me. He began doing that when I was 14. Yeah, he spared me a year. Fucking yay. I swore that when I was 18 that I would be out of there as soon as possible. I wasn't. I'm twenty-fucking-five and because of him, i've only ever trusted 2 other people, and I was completely alone and fucked up for 13 years, and I'm still living with him because its a roof over my head and food to eat. Its shitty; A tiny little trailer that is badly insulated and dirty as hell. Anyways, yeah. He beats my ass. Its gotten bad lately, probably because he started doing drugs," My eyes widened and Levi rolled his eyes, "don't act like you didn't expect the mention of drugs, Jaeger. I even did a few. Thats not something I'm willing to discuss now, though, if thats okay with you. He does cocaine. I'll go into the kitchen some mornings and see it smeared all over the table that I had cleaned the night before, or on the rug in the bathroom. I don't clean it up though, thats his job, because if i touch his precious fucking coke, he'll choke me out," Levi tenderly touched the bruises on his neck, "And tonight he was fucked up on a different drug, definitely not coke because he was acting way different. He came at me out of nowhere while I was cleaning the bathroom, saying i had stolen his whiskey, and he almost killed me. I could see my entire life flash before my eyes, but then he backed off, kind of looked at me, and stumbled away."

He closed his eyes and found the long scar that spread along his neck, "He threw glass from a broken window at me for this one. I have smaller scars from that on my head, but i don't feel like showing you." He opened his eyes and smiled at me, a mixture of sadness and anger floating around in his eyes.

I simply started. I had no clue what to say or do.

"I freaked you out, huh kid?"

I felt tears sting my eyes, but luckily none came out.

Levi sighed, dropping his head, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so graphic, you're only a-"

"No, don't be sorry. Don't be sorry at all. It's good, I'm glad you told me. It'll help me understand you a little better now." I say, trying to calm him.

"You're a good person, Jaeger," He said quietly, "And i can't fucking believe I've grown to trust you after two months."

"Me neither," I said, giving him a small smile.

"Lets pay and get out of here," He said, pushing the coffee towards me. I finished it and Levi payed, then we got up and left.

"Wheres your car?" I asked when we were in the parking lot.

"I walked here."

I sighed, "Okay, you're just going to have to tell me-"

"No," Levi cut me off sharply, "I'm not letting you drive me home, you don't need to see where I live."

"I'm not letting you walk home," I said flatly.

"I'll call Hanji then."

I ran a hand through my hair, "What time is it?"

He looked at his watch, "10:23."

"Do you want to go to, like… the park or something? I don't really want to go home."

"You have to go to work tomorrow."

"Fine just… Let me drive you at least half of the way, okay?"

"You're so fucking…. Okay, brat, drive me. I'm an adult, I don't need you to, but since you seem sooo eager, I'll let you." He said sourly, walking over to the car and swinging the door angrily and slamming it.

I frowned and sat in the drivers seat and brought my car to life.

"Take a left out of the parking lot and drive from there," Levi said, looking out the window and holding my book on his lap.

We drove in silence and I wasn't comfortable with it. I didn't want him to be upset at me. I gripped the steering wheel. He probably didn't want to walk, and i wasn't gonna prod.

"Take the next right," He said, his voice oddly strained.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly, throwing a glance towards him. His head was pressed against the window.

"Not really," I saw him glance at me out of the corner of his eye, "My turn is coming up, Jaeger."

"Oh!" I exclaimed, turning quickly. The houses were getting dingier the farther we went.

"Take the 3rd right then drop me off by the streetlight."

Levi nodded and stayed I quiet.

When his turn came up, Levi unbuckled his seatbelt, "Bye," he mumbled, getting ready to get out of the car. Something washed over me, a strange confidence. I unbuckled myself, grabbed Levi's wrist, and yanked him towards me for a hug.

He was still at first, and I realized he was shaking. It was a faint shake, but it was definitely there. I hugged him tighter and buried my face in the crook of his neck. He slowly wrapped his arms around me and hugged back, his shaking intensifying.

I don't know how long we sat there. I do know that by the time I pulled away, he had stopped shaking and his scent was engraved into my nose. He smelled like nicotine, detergent, and lavender. He didn't make eye contact with me after the hug. He simply muttered, "Thank you," and got out, heading down the street with my book in his hand.

I turned my car off and hunched over my steering wheel for an hour and a half after he got out.

-x-

The sun decided to shine the next day, and I was happy for it. I was getting tired of rain. I walked into the store, as usual, and began work. As usual.

1:00 rolled around and I was about to go to the break room, when I realized I forgot my lunch in the car. Mikasa let me drive to work because she got a ride from her co-worker. I groaned and headed back to the parking lot. When I got to the car, I bent over to rummaged around in the backseat, looking for my bag under all the jackets and shoes that had accumulated back here. I should really clean it out, all the jackets were really nice. No wonder i couldn't find a decent one lately.

"Oi, Jaeger," I heard behind me.

I spun around and saw Levi, a smirk plastered across his face. I felt my cheeks flame, realizing what the view had looked like when I was bent over, "What are you doing here?" I asked, flustered and embarrassed.

"It's your lunch break isn't it?"

"Well, yeah, but I-" I was cut off by my phone ringing, and I whipped it out quickly. I was about to silence it when I saw who it was; Armin.

"Sorry, I have to take this," Levi shrugged and I answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, Eren. Are you busy?"

I looked at Levi, who was picking lint off of his pants, "Um, kind of. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just calling to apologize for the other night and not calling you-"

I chuckled, cutting him off, "You're fine, Armin, I should be the one apologizing. I was kind of rude, so, sorry."

I could hear the smile in his voice, "It's okay, Eren. You want to go down to the lake when you get off?"

"Yeah, I'd like that. You should spend the night if you can, since tomorrow is Saturday."

"Okay! Yeah, that sounds like a plan. Okay, I know you're busy, so I'll let you go."

"Bye, Armin, see you later!" I hung up.

"Your best friend?" Levi asked, getting into his car. I got in on the passenger side.

"Yeah. He wanted to do something after I got off."

"What's he like?" Levi asked, starting his car and headed down the road, towards Hanji's restaurant, I'm guessing.

"Well," I started, "He's really gentle, sensitive. He's small, and he's got that boyish feel to him," I smiled, "He's a really good listener, really intelligent too. Thats how he got into Rosewell University. He's, overall, just a really good person."

"Hm," Levi hummed, "It must be nice to have someone like that."

I turned my head to look at him, and he glanced at me quickly. I gave him a sympathetic look, "Yeah. It is"

We reached the restaurant and went in.

"Hey guys!" Hanji exclaimed, excitement radiating off of her, "I missed you yesterday!" she playfully punched Levi's arm and gasped when she saw the bruises on his neck, now a bright purple color and little blood dots splotted in them. Levi looked away, "We'll talk about it later."

"Does he…?" Hanji nodded to me shyly.

"Yeah. I told him pretty much everything last night."

She opened her eyes wide, "Wow, Levi."

"Can you just seat us?" He asked, rolling his eyes.

We sat at our usual table, and Hanji went to fetch us our drinks immediately, coming back and setting them down quickly. I looked over the menu once and decided to get a chicken salad sandwich.

"How long have you known Hanji?"

Levi shrugged and sipped his water, "Since I was 14. She was 12, so, yeah shes been with me through everything except my moms death."

"So shes your best friend?"

"Yeah," He smiled at me, "Shes pretty cool."

"What about Irvin?"

"Well I've known him since I was born."

"Really?"

He took another sip of his water, "Hes my moms best friends son. We were around each other constantly as kids, but we're not that close any more. I know I can always call him if I need help with something, though."

I was hesitant with my next question, "What about Annie?"

Levi's eyebrows shot up, "How do you know about Annie?"

"She told me that you guys met when she was 8."

"Did she say anything else?" His eyebrows were still sitting way above where they normally do.

"No."

His eyebrows lowered, "Good." It was quiet for a few minutes.

"Sooo..?" I said, leaning forward towards him.

"What?"

"How do you know her?"

He shrugged, "I'll tell you eventually."

I sighed, "Are you sure? You've pretty much told me every-"

"Jaeger."

"Sorry," I mumbled.

We ate in slightly uncomfortable silence.

-x-

When we got back to the building, I was strangely exhausted.

"I want to ditch work," I grumbled, clicking my seatbelt off and smiling at Levi, "Lunch was nice. See ya later," I turned to get out.

"Oi, Jaeger," Levi said, "Not so fast." I felt a cold hand pull me backwards. I collided with Levi's chest, immediately wrapping my arms around him. He held the back of my head and we sat there for a few minutes, and my timer went off all too soon. Levi chuckled and pulled away, "We should do that more often."

I smiled and laughed aloud, blood rushing to my cheeks, "Yeah, I wouldn't mind that."

"One more thing," Levi said, "Give me your phone." I did. He typed something in and handed it back to me.

"My number is there now."

"Thank you." I said, my blush intesifying.

Levi rolled his eyes with a small smile, "Bye, brat"

"Bye, Levi."

I was giddy when I went back to work.

-x-

"Shit," I cursed as I submerged myself into the water, "It's the hottest part of the year and the water still manages to be freezing cold."

Armin laughed and waded in, "Well it has been raining a lot lately."

"Still," I said, swimming out father.

"Wait up, Eren" Armin yelled, swimming quickly to catch up.

I dived under the water and came back up, gasping, "Fuck, it's so cold."

"Its not that bad," Armin said, swimming up to me, "Can you touch?"

I set myself sink down to where I was on my tippy toes, water coming up to my middle of my neck, "Yeah."

Armin sunk down with a concentrated look, but when he sunk down, the water came up to his mouth. I laughed aloud.

"Shut up, Eren! I can't help that i'm short."

"Yeah, yeah, sorry." I said, chuckling a few more times. I sank under the water and swam around, shaking the water from my hair.

Armin yelped, "Something just brushed past me."

"Do you want to go back to the shore?"

"Yeah," He said, heading back already. I followed him.

When we got back, we wrapped ourselves in towels and and sat there, looking at the sun that had started making its way down the sky.

"I move on campus the 20th." Armin said, looking down into the water.

"Are you excited?"

"Yeah, I guess. I'm really nervous that you and Mikasa won't be there, though."

I nudged him, "You'll be okay, Armin. You're cool, you just have to stop being so nervous."

He sighed, smiling over at me, "Yeah, I know. The idea of being away from you guys scares me. I mean, we've never been farther away than 20 minutes away from each other. Then suddenly, its 8 hours away. Its scary, Eren."

I slung my arm around him, "You'll get through it man. I know it."

Armin smiled brightly at me and my heart clenched a little. I was just as scared as him; but not because he was going away. Well, it was partially that, and partially me being scared the same reason as him. I was always around to help him make friends, but he was horrible at it on his own. I sighed and squeezed him.

"Hey, Eren, it's getting dark. Lets go back to your place and order some chinese food."

I smiled and got up, dusting myself off, "Good idea."

-x-

"Are you excited?" Mikasa asked, her mouth filled with orange chicken. Her and Armin were having the same exact conversation I had with him a couple hours ago. I slurped my noodles and tuned them out, watching a rerun of Seinfeld.

I finished my noodles and pulled out my phone, tossing around the idea of texting Levi around. I decided against it and took Mikasa and Armins plates into the kitchen and rinsed them off. I couldn't get Levi out of my mind; His words replaying in my mind over and over again.

"We should do that more often."

I shuddered.

"Hey Eren," Armin said, poking his blonde head around the corner, "You wanna go up and play some video games?"

I smiled, "Yeah. Could I talk to you first, though?"

"Yeah, what's up?" He said, a look of worry crossing his face.

"Nothing, lets talk about it in my room so Mikasa doesn't here."

We walked up to my room and I shut the door. Armin plopped down in my computer chair and i fell onto my bad.

"I've got a crush on someone," I said, looking up at the ceiling.

I heard Armin choking and looked up to see his holding a bottle of water, and he was sputtering some out of his mouth, "Thats gross, Armin."

"Okay, okay," He said, coughing a few more times, "You have a crush on someone? How come you're just now telling me?"

I shrugged, "Because it just really hit me."

"Who is it?"

"He's a janitor at my work. He's beautiful Armin, really, he's pale and like your height, and his hair is fucking beautiful…" I trailed off closing my eyes.

Armin whispered, "He?"

Fuck. I flew upright, "Shit."

"You're gay?" He exclaimed.

"Shut up!" I hissed, "Yeah, I think I am. I mean I'm definitely not straight."

"Obviously."

I rolled my eyes, "Don't tell Mikasa. I'll tell her on my own eventually."

He nodded, "What do you like about him?"

"He's just… so mysterious, I guess. He's fucked up. He's abused by his uncle, and i swear to god it just makes him even more beautiful. I'm just attracted to him, Armin. He's honest and just… ugh." I covered my face, which was burning up.

"Wow, sounds like you've got it bad. What do you mean he's abused by his uncle? Like, sexually? How old is he?"

"No, physically. He's 25."

"Um, Eren, please don't be mad but that whole thing sounds dangerous."

I stayed silent for a second then let out a long sigh, "I know. I don't care. I really like this guy, and it's hard for me to explain."

I heard Armin scratch his head, "Just be careful."

I looked over at him and smiled, "I will, don't worry. Come on, lets play some games."

We stayed up till dawn and Armin fell asleep on my floor, so i slipped a pillow under his head and crawled into my bed, falling asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.


	5. 5 - Close

-EEpppp this chapter revolves around Eren and Levi mostly. Just so you guys know, I thrive off of input. So keep leaving reviews, it motivates me to write. It makes me all happy and bubbly no matter what it says because you took the time out to write a review for my dumb story. Okay, anyways, enjoy wheeee~ -

It was noon when we woke up, and Armin left immediately, remembering that he had to take his grandpa shopping for clothes. I told him to say goodbye to the old man for me, and he told me that'd he'd try, and I just laughed and waved him off. Mikasa was out, too, I'm not sure where but I didn't really care. I dragged myself over to the fridge and twisted the cap off of the milk, drinking out of the carton like Mikasa hated.

When i was done raiding the kitchen, I trudged back up the stairs and collapsed in my bed again, wanting to just sleep for the rest of the day. I sighed when my neighbor started his lawnmower and pulled my phone over to me, seeing that Mikasa had sent me a few texts. She was out with a friend and would be back later tonight. I sighed again.

I hesitantly scrolled down to Levis name and selected 'send message.' I stared at the screen for a few minutes, wondering what to write. I decided on something that made me feel so stupid and dumb that i almost puked as I typed it.

"Guess who." I cringed as i sent it and slammed my phone down, rolling over, not expecting my phone to vibrate a second later. I opened the message immediately.

"Could it be the only person i've given my number to lately?"

I chucked, happy he wasn't revolted by my stupid message, "I guess it is."

"Can I call you?" My heart skipped a beat when he asked and I typed back, "Yeah." quickly.

A couple minutes later my phone started ringing and I nervously answered after the 3rd ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey." His voice was smooth and dark as usual.

"Hows it going?" I said with a light laugh.

"You sound fucking nervous, kid. What's so different about talking to me over the phone than in person?"

"I-I don't know what-" I stammered, but was cut off with a surprising sound; a genuine laugh from Levi. His was light, lighter than his voice. I could listen to it all day.

"Calm down, i'm just playing with you."

It was quiet then before i broke the silence by blurting out a stupid question, "so why'd you call?"

Levi breathed as if he was going to speak, then got quiet before saying, "Actually, I'm not sure."

Nervousness ripped through me as I said, "well, while we're talking I might as well ask of you want to go somewhere."

"Yeah?" He said, his voice sounding amused.

"So… do you want to go somewhere?" I asked.

He laughed again and my stomach did a flip.

"Yeah, sure. Come pick me up at the same place you dropped me off the other day."

I almost screamed with joy. "Okay! I mean, uh, okay. Now?"

He laughed once more and said, "Yeah," between chuckles.

"Um, okay! I'll uh, get dressed and stuff."

"You're not dressed now?" He said in a low voice and I felt my cheeks catch fire.

"Well, i am, but i just woke up, so i'm not, you know, dressed like you would-"

He chuckled, "See ya when you get here." And he hung up.

I fell back on my bed.

-x-

I pulled up to the street light where I had dropped him off the other night and he wasn't there. He was probably running behind, so I turned my car off to wait for him. A few minutes later, I saw him walking down the sidewalk smoking a cigarette and kicking rocks. As he approached I choked back a moan. He looked _hot._

He was wearing a leather jacket and a grey v-neck under that with a pair of grey jeans that were tight in all the right places. I gulped as Levi bent down to put his cigarette out on the concrete and got into my car. I self consciously looked down at my Old Navy shirt and jeans.

"Where are we going?" He asked looking over at me.

"I didn't really have anywhere in mind." I said, meeting his gaze. He frowned.

"Maybe the lake?" I suggested, scratching the back of my head.

"I don't have my bathing suit."

"Well we don't have to swim, we could just chill out. Maybe walk around or something. Then maybe go for lunch. We can go to a movie afterwards, or my house if you want." I nervously suggested.

"Alright, thats fine." He said smoothing out his jacket.

"Okay! Lets get going," I said happily, starting my car. Levi chuckled.

The lake was busy today; almost all the swimming beaches were full and there were tons of boats out on the water. Levi gave me a few dollars for a day pass and I payed, then drove down towards the area marked "Nature trail."

I got out and ran after Levi after he had already started down the trail.

It was peaceful. I couldn't hear the boats or cars here and the trees were tall and green. Everything was really green, probably from all the rain. It was just pretty overall. Aside from the bugs.

We walked along quietly, Levi had his hands in his pockets and was looking up at the sky, and I was looking at the ground, letting the quietness engulf me. It was calming.

"Hey, lets stop here and have a cigarette," he said, tapping my shoulder.

"Do you think thats a good idea? What if we get in trouble for littering?"

He sighed and pointed to a cigarette butt on the ground.

"Oh."

He walked over to a spot between a few trees and took a cigarette and i noticed it looked different. He took a puff and blew it out, leaning against the tree and and it smelled different too. Strangely nice, though.

"What type is that?"

"Hm?" his eyes fluttered open, "Oh. Yeah, their cloves. They smell good huh? A lot better than tobacco."

"Can I try?" I asked, walking closer.

"Yeah," He said, holding out black cigarette. I took it and brought it to my lips, inhaling only a little bit and handed it back to Levi. He took it and watched me as i exhaled, a smile playing on his lips. The smoke filled my lungs and it didn't sting like with the others; it was a warm feeling.

"Their nice, yeah?" Levi asked, taking another drag.

"Yeah," I said, scanning his face, "Different."

He closed his eyes again and we passed the cigarette back and forth. I watched him carefully; the relaxed look on his face when he took a drag was interesting. His split lip was almost completely healed, which surprised me. I looked down to his neck and was surprised when the bruises weren't there.

"Hey Levi?"

"Hm?" he replied, his eyes still closed.

"Where'd your bruises go?"

He opened his eyes and smirked at me, "Thats the magic of makeup, Eren."

-x-

We ate lunch at whataburger, because I insisted on paying and thats all i had money for. We were on our way back to my house now, and I had to admit that I was nervous. Levi was going to be in my house. Possibly in my room. I breathed heavily when we pulled up into the driveway.

"It's nice." he said as he got out. I got out too and went to unlock the door.

When we walked in i looked around to make sure the house was decent. It was, so I stepped aside and let Levi in. He looked around just like me, then looked back and said, "Not bad." I broke out into a smile.

"We try to keep it clean."

"Can I see your room?" He asked, shifting his gaze to mine. I gulped.

"Uh, yeah. It's upstairs."

I jogged upstairs and Levi followed. When we were outside my room, I spun around to look at him.

"My room isn't as clean as the rest of the house." I said.

"I didn't expect it to be."

I rolled my eyes and opened the door and let Levi in. He sighed as he looked around.

"Do you even try, kid?" He asked, kicking an empty bottle of coke.

"Not really," I mumbled, throwing it in my trashcan.

"Could be worse," He stuck his hands in his pockets, "A lot worse."

"Yeah," I said, walking up beside him and looking around at the clothes strewn all over my room.

"So, what do you want to do?" He looked at me and I shrugged, "Do you like video games?"

"I've never really played."

"What about TV?" I asked, scratching my head awkwardly, "I can let you watch some of my favorite shows."

He shrugged, "That sounds fine."

"Okay," I said with a smile, switching my TV on. Levi pulled my comforter up to my pillows then smoothed it down, sitting down gently when he was finished. I grabbed my remote and sat down by him, putting a pillow behind my back. I turned on 'Mystery Diagnosis' and told Levi, "This is my favorite show. It's pretty cool, if i do say so myself."

"What's it about?"

"Well the title is pretty self-explanatory. It's about people who come in with rare illnesses, and the doctors are all 'I don't know what's wrong with you!' and then the people finally get a diagnosis from someone and they live most of the time."

He chuckled, "Interesting."

We sat in silence as we watched and I kicked off my shoes, making myself more comfortable. He did the same after a few minutes and visibly relaxed when he did so. I smiled at him and turned my attention to the show.

When we were nearing the end of the show, I looked over to him and saw his eyes had closed and his arms were crossed across his chest, he was breathing slowly. He was so peaceful; his eyes weren't narrowed and his whole face just looked relaxed. I didn't wake him up, I just sat there and studied him. I noticed dark bags under his eyes and frowned, then let my eyes travel down, to his perfect jaw and his carved neck and then along his scar, frowning even more. I felt so bad that he had to deal with something like physical abuse, and it pained me that I couldn't help. It had crossed my mind to go to find his uncle and give him a piece of my mind, but every time I did I thought about Armin's advice of being careful and let the thought flutter from my mind.

Levi's brows furrowed and he twitched, mumbling something that I couldn't quite catch. He mumbled it again, his foot popping upwards. Then he was still; but i kept watching. His mouth opened slightly and and sigh escaped out. I smiled and looked back to my show, only to see that it had ended. I deleted the recording and turned on another episode.

"No," he mumbled again fairly audible this time.

"Levi?" I said softly, worrying as his face twitched.

"N..sto…" His face twisted and a small noise came from the back of his throat.

I softly grabbed his shoulder, "Hey, Levi."

"NO," He gasped as he snapped upright. I kept my hold on him and squeezed his shoulder. He turned his head to look at me, his eyes were filled with fear.

"Are you okay?" I whispered. He just stared at me. He was shaking.

"Hey, you're okay, it was just a dream," I said, leaning forward and pulling him into a hug. He let out a shaky breath against my chest and I held him, rocking back and forth slightly. "I'm sorry for falling asleep," He said, his voice only above a whisper.

"Don't apologize," I whispered back soothingly, petting his hair. It was soft.

He pulled back slightly to look at me, his eyes clouded. My cheeks burned and I looked away, clearing my throat.

"Eren," he said, his voice back to it's regular pitch, "Look at me."

I pulled my gaze back up to his, and he moved his face closer, tilting his head slightly. I nervously wet my lips with my tongue, which caused his gaze to shift down to my lips.

"Let me try something," He muttered, pressing his forehead to mine. My breathing hitched, and i looked down at his full lips, which whispered something incomprehensible. Before I had time to ask what he said, his lips were on mine.

I didn't know how to react at first, so I sat there as he shifted his whole body forward towards mine. His lips were soft and sweet, and they made mine tingle. I slowly, slowly kissed him back and he put his hand on my knee, upping the kiss by taking my bottom lip between his, sucking gently before engulfing my mouth with his. I groaned into his mouth and he responded well, pushing me backwards onto the bed and climbing onto me, using his hands to prop himself up. He nibbled my bottom lip and I took the hint, opening my mouth so he could slip his tongue in. I shivered as his tongue wrestled with mine in a short battle for dominance that he quickly won. He swept my mouth and I reveled in the way he tasted; tobacco and mint and all things wonderful.

He took his lips away from his mouth and I sighed, wanting them to return, but the sigh was quickly replaced by a gasp and he planted a wet kiss on the middle of my neck. I grasped a handful of shirt and he grabbed my chin, pulling it to the side to get more access to my neck. He kissed all the way around, and I groaned loudly as he sucked a section of skin into his mouth roughly, licking over it then moving downwards to my collar bone.

I pushed his jacket off and he snaked his hand away from my chin and down my chest, reaching the bottom of my shirt and moving his hand up, feeling along all the curves of my muscles, causing me to arch against him. It was when I did that when I realized that he was extremely hard. I pushed my knee between his leg, letting my knee graze his erection. He growled and pinched one of my nipples, making me cry out with a mixture of delight and pain. He hissed at the sound and returned his lips to mine, sucking and biting so feverishly that i was sure i would be sore tomorrow.

I didn't know how far we would have gone if i hadn't have heard the from door slam close.

Levi snapped off of me and glanced down, his gaze lustful. I sat up too, running a hand through my hair and trying to calm my erratic breathing. Mikasa knocked on the door a minute later.

"Hey, Eren, i brought home-" She stopped when she laid eyes on Levi, who was completely back to normal besides his flushed cheeks.

"Oh," She said flatly, "I didn't realize you had someone over. I'm Mikasa," She said, giving a small smile.

He waved, "I'm Levi."

"Do you want to have dinner with us? I brought home some Sonic if you want to eat with-"

"No, I'm okay," He said, slipping his shoes and jacket on as he got up, "I was just leaving."

I stood up too, "Okay, i'll drive you to-"

He shot me a look that could kill, "No, I was thinking about going over to Hanji's anyways. I'll catch you later, Eren." He turned on his heel and Mikasa moved out of the way.

I heard the front door close quietly and smiled at Mikasa, "Sorry he's not the friendliest-"

"Why didn't you tell me you were gay?" She said flatly.

"I- I'm not!" I said in a high pitched tone.

"Your hair is messy, you have a hickey, your lips are swollen, and you both were blushing like crazy." She stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

I racked my brain for an excuse but came up empty, dragging a hand through my hair lazily.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Fuck, Mikasa, I just came to the conclusion myself!" I yelled.

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"No, hes my friend." She rolled her eyes.

"Okay, fine, I'm not sure what he is, or what that was. He just kissed me, okay?" I sighed and Mikasa raked her eyes over my face.

"You should have told me."

I threw my hands up in exasperation.

"Your food is on the table when you're hungry," She said, turning and walking out, closing my door quietly.

_****_ I pulled a pillow over my head and groaned.


	6. 6 - Realization

-HEyyyyy!

!MENTION OF SELF HARM IN THIS CHAPTER! Please, PLEASE if you are in any way triggered by the mention of self harm, skip over the part where Levi gives Eren his jacket!-

-EeeeeeEEEEE i love you guys thank you so much for the reviews they make me sooo happy and motivated and ahhhhhh. Updates will be less frequent, since school has started and i have after school activities. ilu guys keep leaving reviews and i'll keep writin!-

I rolled over and banged my alarm clock, making it shut up. Ugh, Monday. I got up and hurried to the shower, then headed down to the kitchen for breakfast. Mikasa and I haven't talked since she walked in on me and Levi, so i was nervous as to what she would say. Hopefully she wouldn't bring it up at all.

I clunked down the stairs slowly and saw that breakfast was sitting on the counter. She was sitting at the table, slowly eating her eggs. She looked up when i brushed past her.

"Hey." She looked back down at her breakfast and continued eating, and I sat down and started eating mine too. For the most part it was silent, and thats the way i liked it. Mikasa got up and rinsed her plate off, then took mine when I was finished and i headed upstairs.

I pulled on a blue t shirt and a pair of faded jeans. I headed downstairs after i brushed my teeth and was about to go downstairs when Mikasa called me.

"Hey, Eren." She said, coming into view with a towel draped over her arm.

"Yeah?" I asked flatly, still upset because of yesterday.

"I'm sorry for last night," She sighed, "I was kind of pushy. Plus I walked in to discover that my little brother was making out with some strange guy I've never met, so I was kind of surprised and… I don't know, i felt protective. So I'm sorry."

I let my shoulders fall and puffed a breath out. She had a point, "You're only a year older than me."

She shrugged.

"He works with me," I said, glancing up at her.

"Oh."

"Yeah," I scratched my head, "And his name is Levi. He's not my boyfriend."

"Thank you," She whispered, looking down.

"I'm sorry, too. I'll see you later," I said, walking to the door.

I walked to the bus stop and got there just in time, taking my seat at the back and looking out the window as we drove there.

I went inside and clocked in, seeing no signs of Levi so far. Thank god.

I headed to the mens department and started sorting clothes lazily, not feeling up to work at all.

My head was still cloudy with yesterdays memory stuck in my head. The way he had touched me was so tender, as if he thought I was just some illusion of his mind. The ferocity with which he kissed me was as if i was going to flutter away if he let up. I shivered at the memories and shook them out of my head, trying my best to focus on work.

1:00 rolled around and I hadn't seen Levi once. I headed to the parking lot to make sure he wasn't there and waited by the door for 10 minutes, then sighed when he didn't show. I went back to the break room, foodless, and sat by Petra and Jean.

"Hey, Eren! How was your weekend?" Petra said, smiling in between spoonfuls of macaroni and cheese.

"Uneventful," I replied simply. Petras face fell then she gave me a halfhearted smile, "Well thats no fun." I shrugged and looked over to Annie in the corner. I met her gaze and she gestured at me to come over to her. I walked over with my hands in my pocket and sat by her. She analyzed my movements. When i sat down she scanned my face and he eyes landed on my neck.

Fuck.

"Hm." She said, her eyes never straying from my neck.

"What?" I asked innocently, cocking an eyebrow.

"Looks like you did have some fun this weekend," She leaned forward and tapped my neck, "I wonder if anyone else has noticed." I blushed heavily and looked away, shifting away from her.

"Did Levi do it?" She asked, her eyes strangely curious.

"What's with you?" I asked, looking away, "Why can't you talk to me like a normal co worker or something? Whenever we talk it's about Levi."

She sighed, "Because I'm just curious, Eren. It's weird to see him becoming close with someone over such a short period of time."

"What was your relationship with him anyways?" I grumbled, crossing my arms over my growling stomach.

She tore half of her sandwich and gave it to me, "Here."

I took it and narrowed my eyes at her, taking a cautious bite. It was good.

"As for our relationship," She wiped her hands on her shirt, "I would ask him if i were you. I'm not the one you should ask about his life."

"It was your life, too."

"Yeah," she said, standing up, "But it was his… thing. Just ask him Eren. I'll see you later."

I finished my half of sandwich without looking up from the table.

-x-

The rest of the day passed quickly and, to my dismay, it was pouring down rain when i was getting ready to leave. I groaned loudly and Sasha patted my back before rushing to the safety of her car.

I pulled on my thin jacket and put the hood on, stuffing my hands in my pockets and heading out into the rain.

I was thoroughly soaked and 13 minutes early when i reached the bus stop. Great. I sat down and waited, sighing impatiently.

A urgent honk made me turn around, and I was paralyzed when I saw a pale, frustrated face in the window. He honked again, long and loud, "I'm fucking coming, jeez!" I yelled, making my way to his car. I walked to the other side and got in despite his groan about how i was getting his car soaked.

I looked over to him, "What?"

"I'm giving you a ride home. You were just sitting there in the rain, kid." He didn't make eye contact with him. He looked horrible, actually; he was pale and had dark, puffy bags under his eyes. The bruises on his neck were starting to yellow around the edges and had significantly faded. They were still a vibrant purple, though. His lips were pale and he just looked, overall, bad.

"Whatever," I mumbled, looking out the window.

"Eren.." he sighed. I could see him turn his head, but I didn't look. I don't know why i was mad at him, really. He had a good reason to leave. It still hurt my feelings, that he would be kissing me so feverishly one second and leave suddenly the next, even if my sister did pretty much walk in on us making out.

"You're shivering," He said quietly, reaching over to me. He put his hand on my soaked arm. I looked down at it, crossing my arms tighter, trying to stop the shivering. Why did he keep this car so damn cold?

"Come on, Eren, put on my jacket," he shrugged out of his, and thats when i caught sight of his left arm and his scars. How had i not seen them before? His arm were littered with long, long scars and short, deep ones. My breath caught in my throat. How the fuck had i not noticed them?!

Levi caught me looking and searched my face, "i thought you've seen them before…"

I shook my head and he tugged at my jacket, so i tore my eyes away and peeled my jacket from my skin, sitting it on the floor of his car. He handed me his and i pulled it on. It was warm and smelled just like him, and although it was pretty small on me, i was instantly cozy knowing that it was his. I let my gaze shift back to his arm.

"Where are those from?" I whispered.

"Their mostly self-inflicted." He looked down, almost looking ashamed.

"God, Levi…" I reached out and grabbed his hand, and he was surprised by the action but let me continue what i was doing. I extended his arm and examined it; it was bumpy with scars and some of them dipped into his skin rather than scar tissue forming bumps. He watched my face as i examined his arm with a calm expression.

"I'm sorry for walking out." He said, taking his arm away from my hand. I sat there and stared at his face, listening to the rain patter against the roof of his car. I didn't respond.

"I don't know what my problem is, kid," He held his head in his hands and gripped his hair, "theres something about you that tells me i can get close to you, and i can trust you. The same thing tells me that i should kiss you and hold you, take care of you… but then there's something in the back of my mind telling me that you don't fucking care and you're just acting like this to fool me…" he clutched his hair harder, "I fucking have 3 people in my life to depend on, Eren, and one of them is you. Everyone else left me when my mom died because i was a shell of a person who didn't feel anymore. Their gone, and every time i think about how they all left, I get so fucking irrationally scared that everyone else is going to do the same," His voice broke and started rocking back and forth, silent tears streaming from his eyes.

"That'll never happen," I whispered, pulling him over to me, a lump forming in my throat. I held him against my chest and his body was shaking so furiously. He was crying like a baby; yet no sound ever escaped him. We sat like that for so long, just me and him listening to the rain. His shaking gradually subsided and I stroked his hair. He sat upright and wiped his eyes with his uninjured arm, and his voice was shaky as he said, "Lets get you home."

"Do you want to come in, too?" I asked, clicking my seatbelt on. He started the car and sighed, "I probably shouldn't. I have to go home and clean up, or my uncle will get mad…"

I bit my tongue and simply said, "Okay."

He pulled out of the parking lot we'd been sitting in and started down the street on a silent ride home.

When we got to my house i unbuckled myself and sat there for a minute, waiting for Levi to do something, anything. He didn't; he just sat there hunched over his steering wheel.

I started the shrug out of his jacket but a hand stopped me.

"Keep it, Eren, I've got plenty." He looked into my eyes and they were red and miserable. His usual emotionless stare was gone, and it was replaced by a look that dripped emotion. I felt something in my chest move and we simply stared into each others eyes, until i decided to do something. I leaned forward and Levi gasped as i pressed my lips to his.

He took no time to return the kiss, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me so tenderly my heart almost broke in two. I tangled my fingers in his hair and he rubbed the back of my neck, deepening the kiss by grabbing my chin and opening my mouth, easily sliding his tongue in. I let him explore my mouth again with his warm tongue, tightening my grip in his hair to let him know that i'm real and that i'm here, and i'm never leaving.

He pulled away and gasped, his face flushed. I'm sure i looked the same.

"Thank you," he said, searching my face with his grey eyes.

"You're welcome," I said back, loosening my grip on him, sliding my fingers along his scalp as I removed my hands from his hair. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against mine, breathing out of his nose.

He eventually moved back and started his car back up, "I'll see you tomorrow, Eren."

"Have a safe night," I said, giving his arm a squeeze before getting out. Levi waited until i was inside the house to drive away.

Luckily the house was empty so I had time to let everything that just happened sink in. I marched upstairs and stripped down, walking to the bathroom completely naked. I turned on the water and stepped in, letting the warm water wash away the stress on my muscles.

Levi's words played back in forth in my head. I felt so, so, so bad for him and it pained me so much that i couldn't help. Sure, I could I comfort him all i wanted, but it would never fix him and stop what he experienced at home. It wasn't fair to him. He was just a hurt person, who wanted to feel again. He was almost to that point, but all the stress of his uncle prevented him from getting there.

Then it hit me why he trusted me. I hadn't pegged him as an asshole right away, like Jean, and Sasha and Petra who said he was an unfriendly person when they had probably talked to him once. I had given him a chance, and it made him feel like 'theres something about you that tells me i can get close to you, and i can trust you'. I've gotten close to him in these two months, and when he was with me he had a chance to feel. I made him feel human, like Annie said. Another realization hit me.

I had fallen in love with Levi and the broken person he is after two months of knowing him.

-x-

Mikasa came home with Wendy's and I thanked her for it, and we ate in front of the TV and talked about how our days went.

When we finished dinner, Mikasa said she was going over to Connies for the season premiere of some show they liked and asked if I wanted to come. It might be fun, but I politely declined. She asked me to clean up a little while she was gone and I said I'd try.

I took out the trash and cleaned the sink and did the dishes in under 40 minutes. So i decided to mop by the entryway, which was wood. I did, then got out the vacuum and did the living room. I might as well do my room too. I marched upstairs with the heavy vacuum coming along with me. I left it in the hallway while i sorted through my clothes, sniffing to decide if they were dirty or not. I ended up with a pretty large load of dirty clothes, so i put it in the laundry and folded what was clean. When the floor was clear i ran the vacuum through a few times. I vaccumed the upstairs then took it back downstairs, satisfied with my work.

I went back upstairs and watched TV in bed. I eventually gave in to the gnawing want in my mind and texted Levi.

"Hey." I said, simply. I never knew how to greet him and it made me nervous.

He replied a second later, "Hey"

"Everything going okay?" I turned the sound on my phone off like i always did so i didn't reply too quickly. I ended up checking the second he texted me back.

"No, not really."

I felt worry spread through me, from my toes to my hair, "Can i call you? I hope everythings okay."

"Yeah, go ahead."

I pressed 'call' quickly and he picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?" he said quietly.

"Hey. Is everything alright?" I bit my fingernail on my other thumb.

He was silent for a second and I could hear thumping in the background, "No, Eren, I'm not."

"What's going on?" I asked urgently.

I heard a yell and Levi was extremely quiet. I waited a few minutes and the yelling ceased but he was quiet for about 10 more minutes, "I think he's passed out now." He said, still so quiet that i had to strain to hear him.

"What'd he do?"

He took a breath and didn't say anything.

"Levi?"

"Can I come over?" He asked, his voice so quiet i wasn't sure he said what i think he said.

"Of course. Do you want me to come get-" Then i remembered Mikasa had the car, "I mean, nevermind. Do you remember how to get here?"

"Yeah."

"Hurry up. Be careful." I said, worry dripping from my tongue. He hung up without a reply.

-x-

It was 45 minutes until Levi arrived. In those 45 minutes, i went around the house, cleaning and doing meaningless tasks. When the doorbell finally rang i flew downstairs and was met with a Levi in sweats and a fleece zip-up. He was looking down, and continued to do so as he walked past me and into the house.

"Levi?" I asked hesitantly, walking up to him and reaching towards him. My heart clenched tightly when he flinched away from me. He quickly realized what he did and apologized profusely, making his way into my arms. I wrapped them around him and we stood there.

"What happened?" I asked, pressing my lips to his forehead.

He sighed and pulled back from me, finally looking up at me. His face had no wounds on it, but when he started unzipping his hoodie he gave me a sad look and I gasped when he was done.

His stomach and chest were littered with new, dark purple bruises and old scars.

"Jesus christ..." I said, creeping forward and pressing my hand onto one of his bruises. His face displayed no signs of pain.

"Why?" I whispered, tears welling up in my eyes.

"I forgot to clean the bathroom," He smiled sadly and i pulled him against me once again.

"Let me get you some ice," I said, pulling away from him. I filled a large ziplock bag with ice and came back, handing it to him. We headed upstairs and i opened my door, letting Levi in before me.

"Its cleaner than last time," He chuckled and i smiled a small smile.

He sat down on my bed and took his jacket completely off, "can I have a shirt?" He asked.

"Yeah, of course." I went to my closet and pulled out the softest shirt i had. I gave it to him ad he thanked me, pulling it on. It was cute how big it was on him, but I didnt say anything about it.

He laid down on his back with a grunt and set the ice in the middle of his chest.

"Are you staying the night?" I asked, turning the TV on and sitting down by him.

"Only if i'm allowed to," He sighed.

"Duh. Theres no reason to even think about it," I laid beside him and he smiled over to me.

"You're a good person, Jaeger."

I blushed and pushed some hair out if his face, "You are too, Levi."

He captured one of hands and brought it to his chest, propping himself up on one of his arms.

"I haven't really felt in years, Jaeger. Do you feel this?" He squeezed my hand and i pressed into his chest, right where his heart is. It was beating fast and hard, "Thats for you, kid. It hasn't done that in so long i forgot how it felt. I spent so long being numb and closed off, then you show up one day and you change everything. Jesus, I didn't even know what i was doing when i asked you to lunch." He ran a hand through his hand and I sat up to him, getting as close as possible.

"I make you happy?" I asked, searching his eyes with mine.

"Happier than i've been in a really long time"

My stomach churned and I didn't hesitate to grab the back of his head and smash my lips to his. I felt him smile against my mouth and move closer to me. I rubbed my fingertips along the shaved part of his head and into his hair, and he held my cheek, clutching my shirt in his other hand. He pulled back for a split second to breathe and I tightened my finger in his hair, eliciting a

breathy groan. He pecked my lips a few times before moving to neck, kissing softly and biting at some points. I closed my eyes and threaded my fingers through his hair.

He pulled back and looked at me, so much emotion plastered on his face that my chest swelled.

"Lets go to sleep. I need it and so do you." He laid down and pulled the comforter up to his chest and motioned for me to come along with him.

I laid down and settled under the blanket and switched the tv off with the remote. He leaned over and switched the lamp off.

We laid there for a while, neither one of us actually sleeping. I listened to his light breathing and felt my eyelids getting heavy before he spoke.

"Eren?"

"Yeah?"

"Come here."

I scooted over to him and i felt his arms settle around me and his lips press against my forehead.

"Now go to sleep," He mumbled. I smiled and rested against his chest.

I felt myself start to drift off, but before i slipped into a deep sleep, i mumbled something that slipped out of my mouth before I had a moment to stop it.

"I love you."


	7. 7 - Love

-Eheheheee i loved writing this chapter so much omg. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and thank you once again for the kind reviews~ -

I opened my eyes to almost complete darkness; the only light was a pale stream of light coming from the window. I tried to sit up but my efforts were nothing against Levi's grip, which was still surprisingly strong for someone who was-

"Stop moving, you're warm," He mumbled, and I immediately stopped.

"I have to pee."

"I don't care," He snuggled his head into the crook of my neck and pulled me back over to my side and I groaned.

"What time is it? And how long have you been awake?" I asked, squirming. I really have to pee.

"It's 5:30. I've been awake since your sister came home," He clutched me hard to stop my squirming, "Which was 3:30. She left again at 4."

"She did? I should probably text her. So if you would be so kind…" I pried his arms off of me and he groaned. I rolled over him and stood in the middle of my room, grabbing my phone. Mikasa had texted me.

"I don't know who's car was in the driveway but I think I can probably guess. Have fun. I'll stay the night at Connie's."

I felt blush spread all through me and I threw my phone back on the floor and went to pee.

I peed quickly and gargled some mouthwash and stumbled back to my room in the dark. Levi rolled over when I entered the room and looked me up and down.

"What?" I asked, taking a gulp of water.

"You're fucking adorable when you've just woken up."

I rolled my eyes but felt my ears get hot and flopped back on my bed, making my way between Levi and the wall that my bed was pressed against. He stretched and moved back over to me, "I haven't slept as good as last night in years."

I smiled and turned to face him, "My bed is pretty comfy, huh?"

He chuckled, "I think it has more to do with something else than the bed." I blushed again and he laughed his wonderful laugh.

"Do you want breakfast?" I asked.

"Not really. We should go back to sleep before you have to wake up for work," He said, stretching out like a cat then curling up against me again. I wrapped an arm around him.

"Well, okay. I'm not going to protest."

He made a soft noise then said, "Good boy," which was followed by a short, lazy kiss.

We both drifted back to sleep in no time.

-x-

"You should let me cook next time," He said, frowning at his burnt bacon.

I shook my wet hair and stretched back with a sigh, "I don't have much cooking experience. Mikasa usually cooks breakfast and brings home fast food for dinner."

"I'll cook for you sometime, then," He spread some butter on his toast, "I learned a lot from my mom before she passed."

I sat down with a glass of orange juice, "What was she like?"

He stopped chewing and set stilled for a second and i panicked, "I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want. I'll understand if-"

"No, thats okay. I've spent 12 years not talking about it, it'll be nice to get it out." He resumed chewing.

"Well, she was basically my best friend. I'm not socially graced, it didn't just happen after she died. A lot of my family members would always urge me to stop being shy and come out of my shell, but not my mom. She accepted me and actually tried to help with it instead of just pushing me to be more social. I was always grateful for that and it's one thing i really, really miss.

She loved doing housework. Cleaning, cooking, all of it. It was her favorite thing to do. Whenever i got home from school there would always be laundry in the dryer, food in the oven. The house was always spotless; it's where i adopted my cleanliness from. She was the best cook, Eren. She always told me about how she wanted to be a chef, but how she loved cooking for me way more than a bunch of strangers. She never made anything i didn't like, and she never messed up. When i was really little i would always help whenever i could, and she wouldn't get frustrated or anything when i messed up. She said 'I'm as old as dust and it took me forever to get good, so be patient.'" He stuffed some eggs in his mouth, "She liked to sew and knit, too. I never learned how to do that since I wasn't really interested. Anyway, she used to make shirts and scarves for me. She once made me a quilt when i was 5 or 6. It took her two years to make because she only did it in her free time, which she had very little of. She was an amazing woman, really. She was really artistic and I always thought to myself, 'wow, i hope i'm as amazing as mom when i grow up.' But here I am, 25 years old and working as a janitor."

"You're still amazing, Levi." I said, reaching over and grabbing his hand.

He snorted and intertwined his fingers with mine, "You're such a sap, Jaeger."

I smiled goofily and we ate in silence.

When it was almost time for me to leave, Levi told me he was going to go back home.

I engulfed him in a hug by the front door and he hugged back. He pulled my chin down to meet his lips and kissed me hungrily. He sucked my bottom lip before he pulled back from the kiss and I grinned at him, "Have a good day."

He jingled his keys and smiled back, "You too." He turned to leave but stopped before walking out the door, "By the way, Jaeger…"

"Hm?" I asked, tilting my head.

"I love you too."

I was paralyzed at his words and he threw me a smirk before walking out the door.

-x-

I didn't get any work done today. Levi's words floated around in my mind and i kept hearing them over and over. Every time i thought about it my heart sped up some, and I didn't mind. He didn't pick me up and texted me an apology for it, saying he had to catch up with his cleaning.

It was a clear day and the sun was shining when I was let out of work, so i took my time going to the bus stop. I said hi to all the people on the bus and took my usual place, watching the town fly by. I reached the bus stop soon and got out, lazily walking to my house. I unlocked the door and marched upstairs, falling on the bed with a sigh.

I dialed Levi's number and he answered quickly, "Hello?"

"Hey."

"Hold on," he sounded like he had something in his mouth. A second later he was back, "What's up?"

"I just got home," I rolled over, kicking my shoes off, "What about you?"

"Eating. I'm finally home alone. My uncle was actually sober when i got home and he told me he was leaving at noon for something and he hasn't come back."

"I bet it's nice to have some alone time, huh?"

"Well needed, if you ask me," He took a bite of whatever he was eating, "The bad part is that chances are, he'll come home fucked up on something and beat the piss out of me over something small."

I flinched at his words, "Jeez, Levi, how can you say shit like that so casually?"

"I don't know. I just can."

"Do you think you could get out of the house before he comes home?"

"Yeah, I was going to go to Hanjis. She wants to do some drinking with another one of her friends. Which is okay, I guess. I don't like getting shit-faced drunk with her though, because she always ends up having a dumb story about how i acted the night before and blah blah blah. You get my point."

I laughed, "Well, have fun with that."

"Wait, were you calling to invite me over?" He said.

"I- What? No! I was just-uh, checking up on you." I stammered, embarrassed, because thats exactly what I was doing.

He cracked up and choked out a, "Jesus, Eren."

"What?"

"You're so cute that it's unbelieveable. Oh my god, don't ever change." he said between laughs. I chuckled along with him.

"But no, seriously, if you want me to come over I can cancel my plans with Hanji. I've gotten drunk with her enough times to last me my whole life."

"No, it's okay, go ahead. I'll probably call Armin over since he leaves for school in a few days."

He made a 'hmmm' sound and finally spoke, "Alright. I'm coming over after i'm done at her house."

I sighed and smiled, "Fine. Don't get too drunk."

He laughed again and i smiled at the sound, "I'll try. Bye, Eren."

"See you later." I hung up and smiled as i dialed Armins number next.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Armin."

"Hi, Eren! I was just going to call you," he laughed.

"Well i was wondering if you wanted to come over? I want to see you before you leave."

"Of course I want to! You don't even have to ask. I'll be over soon."

"Okay, see you then." I hung up and changed into some shorts, running downstairs when i was done.

I turned on the TV and lounged on the couch, waiting for Armin to arrive. He was here is about 10 minutes, and i greeted him as soon as he rang the doorbell.

"Hey, Eren," he said with a smile, giving me an awkward half-hug. I returned the hug with a laugh. He held up the bag in his hand, "I brought some food."

We went to the kitchen and unpacked the food, sitting down and helping ourselves to it.

"So," He asked, swallowing a bit of his burger, "What's been going on with you?"

I felt my face heat up, "Uh, not much."

"You're lying!" He shouted and pointed to me, a playful grin playing on his lips.

I sighed and covered my face, "Oh my god, Armin shut your mouth."

He laughed goofily for a couple of minutes, "Tell me what's going on."

I groaned, "remember how i told you i had a crush on someone?" He nodded eagerly, stuffing some fries in his mouth, "well, we kind of, um…"

He coughed and sputtered, "Did you guys fuck?!"

"NO! Oh my god. Armin. Shut up and let me talk. No, we kissed a few times. He gave me a hickey but thats basically it," I shook my head, "And yes, Mikasa knows. She basically walked in on us in the middle of a makeout session."

He squealed, "I'm so glad. It's been so long since you've had a crush on anyone, Eren! I'm glad this actually turned into something."

I shrugged and took a bite of my chicken strip, "He slept over last night."

His eyes widened and i started speaking before he could, "He had something rough happen at home so he came here and i comforted him and we slept in the same bed."

"Thats so cute."

"Yeah, but i did something stupid," Armin cocked his head, "I told him i loved him before i fell asleep. Yeah, it's true. I'm 90% sure i love him."

"Holy shit. Did he say it back?"

"Yeah, but not right away of course, since i was falling asleep. But before he left he kissed me and was all, 'I love you too' and then just left."

"Have you guys talked since then?"

"Yeah, i called him before i called you. He said hes coming over here after he's done drinking with his friends so he doesn't have to go home."

"Can i meet him?" He asked eagerly.

"Uh, sure, if you're still here. What time do you have to be home?"

"I'm going to try for 11:00 so i can do a little more packing for school."

I frowned, "Aw, Armin don't talk about school. We'll both get sad."

"Yeah, okay. Just know that you're going to help me load up my car and everything the day i leave."

"Of course," I stood up and dumped the remains of my meal in the trash, "Lets go upstairs and play some video games."

-x-

"Alright, tell Mikasa i said hi when she gets home," He said, punching my arm playfully.

"Okay, I'll see you around." I waved as he walked to his car and closed the door behind him, looking at the clock. It was exactly 11:00.

For some reason i felt gross, so i went upstairs and showered. Halfway through the doorbell rang and i scrambled out of the shower, throwing on my sweats and rushing downstairs without a shirt on as the knocking on the door intensified. I opened the door to a flushed Levi, his hair looking disheveled.

"Erennn," he cooed, falling against me.

"Levi? What the fuck, you said you wouldn't drink too much." I groaned, holding him against me and closing the door.

"I didn't drink too much," he slurred, looking at me with glassy eyes and a cute, goofy smile," I drove here didn't i?"

"Uh, yeah. Lets get you upstairs," I took his bag and looped an arm around his waist, leading him up the stairs and into my room. He made his way to my bed and fell face first into my pillows with a muffled, "mmmm." I fetched my shirt from the bathroom and straightened up a little, heading back to my room.

"Hey, brat," he mumbled against the pillow, "Help me put my pajamas on. Their in my bag. I'm too tired."

I blushed furiously and slapped his back, "I can't do that! Do it yourself."

"I can barely stand up, Jaeger. Just take my shoes off or whatever," He yawned and ground his head into the pillow.

I hesitated and finally sighed, "Fine. Move over." He obeyed and scooted over slightly to allow me to sit on the edge of my bed. I took his foot in my hand and undid his shoelaces slowly, sliding his shoe off and allowing it to flop on the floor. I did the same with his other shoe, and he groaned happily when i pulled his socks off to finish the job. He rolled over and pulled a pillow over his head, undoing his belt and pushing his pants all the way down. He kicked them onto the floor and i stared in awe as he flipped onto his stomach again. His butt was right in front of me and the only fabric covering it was his thin, grey, and not to mention tight boxers. I stared at the pale mounds of flesh for quite some time until Levi spoke up in a raspy voice, "Oi, stop checking my ass out and turn off the light and come here. Turn on the TV too, i sleep better with some background noise."

I did as i was told and turned the volume down low, laying next to Levi. He removed the pillow from his face and looked at me with sleepy eyes as he cuddled close to me, his forehead pressing against mine.

"Do you still want me when i'm drunk?" He rasped quietly and i nodded quickly. My response made him smile, "Good. Thats how it should be." He pressed his lips to mine quickly and cuddled against my chest, urging me to hold him. I did, and he murmured words i couldn't quite catch.

"What was that?" I asked, playing with a strand of his hair.

"I said i'm fucking horny," he grumbled and my breath caught in my throat, "But don't worry, i can control myself pretty well"

"Ah well… thats great, Levi."

"Of course i'm not saying i would turn down a good blow, if you're willing." I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Shut up. I'm not doing that while you're drunk," I grumbled, pink with embarrassment.

He looked at me with a lazy grin, "So you would do it another time, yeah?"

His words didn't help my blush and i muttered, "I don't know." Under my breath.

"I'll bet you're a good fuck," He purred to me, pressing against me harder. His words sent a shiver to my spine and a twitch to my dick. He laughed and captured my lips for a split second, "Goodnight, Jaeger."

"Yeah, goodnight."

He kissed my jaw sleepily and whispered, "I love you," while tracing small circles on my chest.

I froze and happiness radiated through me, "I love you too," I whispered back. He breathed deeply and settled down for sleep, clinging to me. I held him tightly against me and felt myself start to drift off as well.

-x-

I was woken up by Levi squirming feverishly, so i woke up and found that he had his back to me and I was still holding him. Spooning? Whatever. He squirmed some more and I looked over to the clock. 3:17 am. I clutched him and groaned, trying to get him to stop moving.

"Th-thats… enough.." He mumbled, and I realized he was still asleep. He was dreaming. I planted a kiss on his temple, trying to get him to wake up. He thrashed some more and I held him tightly.

"Leave him…" he struggled against my grasp. What was he dreaming about anyway?

"Hey, Levi, wake up," I said gently, moving my other hand up to brush some hair away from his face.

"He… No…" He said loudly, shivers ripping through him.

"Alright, come on, thats enough," I said, worry creeping up my throat. I shoot him gently and squeezed his shoulder.

"Eren," He whined quietly, his face twisting with pain. He was dreaming about me?

"Levi," I ran a hand through his hair and pulled, "wake up."

His eyes snapped open and he looked around frantically. His eyes landed on me and i gave him a confused look. He let out a heavy breath and let his shoulders.

"Are you alright?" I asked, grabbing his hand and tangling my fingers with his.

He rolled over and looked at me. I couldn't see his face very good in the light but i could see the pain. He pulled his hand away from mine and pushed it up my shirt. He laid his hand over the spot where my heart was pounding in my chest. His eyes fluttered closed and he laid his head next to mine, his breath tickling my ear.

"They shot you here."

I froze and he brushed his lips over my ear, breathing deeply, "Who shot me?"

"I don't know," he whispered, kissing the spot under my ear, "Don't die. Just stay with me."

"I'm not going to die, Levi," I closed my eyes and placed my hand over his, which was still under my shirt. It was cold but i didn't mind, "I'm not leaving you."

"Thank you," He said quietly, and he trailed his palm down my stomach and my breath caught in my throat. His cold palm caused me to tense up, and he sensed it, "relax, okay? Just let me do what I want." I nodded slowly and he continued his movement, tracing along each line of my torso. He circled the tip of his finger around my nipple before swiping his thumb over it, causing me to blow my breath out of my nose roughly. He smiled at my response and pinched my nipple gently, causing me to choke out a groan.

"Hush. I think your sister is home now, so keep quiet," he hushed, and nibbled at my earlobe. I nodded and breathed deeply.

It was extremely hard not to yelp with surprise as he slipped a hand under the waistband of my sweats.

"Shhh," he cooed, rubbing my thighs gently, "As much as i want to hear every sound you make, you need to hush. I don't want your sister to hate me even more."

"She doesn't hate you," I said, squirming around, trying to get his hand to where i wanted it to be. Unfortunately, it stayed where it was.

"Tch," He kissed along my jaw and rubbed the inside of my thigh gently, making me shiver with anticipation.

"You're such a little virgin," He teased.

I grunted, "How do you know I'm a virgin?"

He shrugged, "Because of how sensitive you are. I haven't even touched you yet and you're already hard." I felt my face heat up and he chuckled, moving his hand back up. He slipped his hand out of my pants and I whined at the loss of contact. He hushed me again and rubbed the front of my pants, making me squirm again. He gripped me through the fabric and i arched off of the bed, earning a tug from him. He chuckled and squeezed me a few times before slipping his hand back under and grasping me without any cloth barriers.

His hand felt like a dream around me. It was soft and cool around the hot of my length, and I swallowed a moan. He rewarded my quietness with a quick stroke and a squeeze to the end of my length. I bucked my hips into his hands and he clicked his tongue, "Don't do that."

I panted and complied, pushing myself back into the bed instead of into his hand as he stroked me gently from base to tip, squeezing each time he got to the top. He used my precum as lubricant to explore my whole length, trying to find where i was most sensitive. I gasped loudly and tensed up as he brushed his thumb over the underside of my tip and he propped himself up on his elbow to look at my face, "Oh, you like that?" He asked huskily before swiping his thumb over the spot again.

"Oh my god," I whispered breathlessly, burying my head in his shoulder. He chuckled lightly and rubbed the spot repeatedly, and i bit my lip to the point of pain to stop the sounds that were threatening to echo thru the house. I planted a series of kisses on his neck, which he approved with a small hum and a few gracious strokes along my length. I bit into his flesh and sucked a bit, and he stoked away at my dick in reward. I did the act a few times and got considerably closer to my release from simply hearing the noises he made. He kept a gradual, steady pace. Instead of carelessly yanking away like I did when I was left to my own devices, he went in a sort of circular, squeezing motion that had me writhing underneath him.

"Eren, look at me," he said softly, gripping the base of my cock with his pointer finger and thumb. I looked at him with annoyance at the fact that his movement has stopped, "Keep looking at me. I want to see every face you make." I nodded at his movement resumed, sweeping over my tip to collect the precum in his palm and used it as lube. I started writhing again and he smiled down at me slyly, enclosing my tip with his hand and going in circular movements.

I searched his eyes in the darkness, and his face softened. Surprisingly enough, his eyes were swirling with emotion. There was definitely lust, that was written all over his face, but there was more. There was a strange sadness along with a happiness and a sort of longing. I reached up to his face and brought it down to mine for a kiss. When our lips touched, it all seemed to be too much for me. The way he squeezed with the exact amount of pressure, the way his breathing hitched when our lips touched, the way that he was demanding yet tender at the same time. It was too much. I arched off of the bed and let out a low moan, the coil in my stomach springing free and white nipping at the corners of my vision. I emptied myself into his hand and he pulled back to look at me, a soft expression spread across his face. He didn't stop his movement until my quiet groans became hot puffs of breath and my hips started spasming on their own accord.

He pulled his semen-soaked hand out of my pants and wiped it on the front, muttering, "Filthy," before planting kisses all over my face, "Come on, take your pants off. Their gross now" He said, tugging at the waistband. I complied and kicked them off lazily, tired from my orgasm. He pulled me against him, kissing my forehead lightly.

"You have a pretty cock," he said, admiring my still semi-hard member, "its a good size."

"Shut up," I mumbled against his shoulder. He snorted traced along my spine, "It's true."

I smiled and felt myself being lulled to sleep by the soothing movement, and Levi moved to let me completely lay down. He pulled me to him and pulled the blanket over us, me being the little spoon. He kissed my temple and intertwined his fingers with mine, "Go back to sleep."

"Mmm," i said, closing my eyes, "I'm not one to disappoint."

****The last thing i heard before i drifted to sleep again was him whispering that he loves me.


	8. 8 - White

-UGH I had to work Labor Day (amazing, huh?) so this update didn't come quite when i wanted it too, but still. ANYWAY PLOT DEVELOPMENT WOOO, although it's kind of short. ilu guys thanks for even giving my gay ass fic a chance ehheehehe-

When I woke up, the pale light streaming from the window burned my eyes. I squinted and looked around. Levi was turned towards me, a pillow over his face. He was breathing softly, so I was quiet when I edged off of the bed. I quietly retrieved a pair of underwear and pants from my drawers and pulled them on quickly.

"Nice butt," He said tiredly and my ears heated up. I could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

I turned around and glared at me, and he gave me a lazy grin. His eyes were rimmed

with red and his hair was very messy. The pale light of the room made him seem paler than usual.

"Feeling alright?" I asked, balling up my sweats from last night and throwing them in the

hamper.

"Yeah, not really, but ive had a fair share of hangovers. I think i can deal," He lifted himself off the bed and stretched with a yawn, "How about you?"

The cocky edge in his voice, and i blushed deeply, "Ah, yeah. I'm uh… Great."

He smirked, "Good. Go check for your sister. I need to go home and do some stuff."

"Alright," I said, opening the door and making my way across the hall to her room. I knocked lightly and was met with a groan.

"What?"

"I just wanted to see if you were home. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine, just a little worn out from last night," I heard her bed creak and some rustling, "If you think I'm getting out of bed any time soon, you're sadly mistaken. I'll enjoy my Saturday like the hungover young adult i am."

I chuckled, "Well, okay. I'll see you later."

I crept back to my room and closed the door quietly. Levi was pulling on a new shirt and turned around to look at me when I walked in.

"Well?"

"Yeah, she's here. Shes in her room, though, so you're safe."

"Ah, wonderful."

"You'll have to actually introduce yourself at some point," I commented, flopping down on my bed.

"Yeah, I'd at least like to make a good impression when i do, not come off as some sleazy drunk who likes to give her brother hickeys and handjobs."

I honked out a laugh and he bent down over me to plant a quick kiss on my lips, "Well, I'll be going. I might come by tomorrow. I'm not sure, Sundays are lazy days and you're too active."

I sat upright, "Hey! Armin is moving to campus tomorrow, maybe you could come here tomorrow and we could go to his house to meet him!"

He scratched his head, "Why do you care about me meeting your friends, brat?"

I furrowed my brows, "Well if we're in a relationship then you should know my friends, right? I know some of yours."

"Relationship? Jaeger, we're not really…"

My heart stopped and i was suddenly filled with anger, "You're fucking kidding, right?"

He looked at me with a blank expression and my anger surged, "You told me you loved me! We tell each other that we love each other! You gave me a fucking handjob and you told me your life story, you sleep in my bed, and you take me to lunch almost everyday, so what else am I supposed to think?! Are you just using me or something?"

He sighed and held him hands up to me, "No, just listen. I'm not good with labels and the word 'relationship' makes me nervous because I'm not good with commitment and-"

I cut him off and jabbed a finger in his direction, "You told me you loved me!"

"I understand that, Eren, but again, I don't like labels so-"

"Then what do you want me to call you?" I said flatly, folding my arms over my chest, "My lover? Because that fucking cheesy and i'm not saying that."

He rolled his eyes, "Why do we have to label it if we're happy?"

"Maybe i want to be able to call you my boyfriend." I grumbled.

"Eren."

"What?" I spat, looking at him angrily. His face had a soft expression and he cupped my cheek. I averted my gaze downward and he sighed, "Don't be like this, Eren. It's just hard for me to process. I'm pretty new to all of this, so just… calm down, alright?"

I looked to him and searched his face. His brows weren't furrowed and his lips weren't pressed into a straight line. His thumb brushed across my cheek and i sighed, "Okay, sorry. I guess I kind of overreacted."

"You didn't, don't worry. You have every right to feel the way you do." he planted a small kiss on my lips and I sighed into it, placing my hand on his. He pulled away too soon and gave me a tiny smile, "I'll call you later. I might come over tomorrow, no promises."

"Alright, see you later." I said, awkwardly shoving my hands into my pockets.

He waved and walked out the door, closing it quietly.

-x-

I spent my day laying on the couch and watching TV. Mikasa came down around 2:00 and sat with me, watching some anime on her computer. I napped a few times but was awoken by something each time. Levi did call, at 5:00, to say hi. He was taking a break from cleaning the house and his uncle was sober. I let him go to eat with Mikasa, who had actually bothered to make something for dinner.

"It's good," I said, taking a bite of the casserole.

"It is," She smiled up at me from her thick, black bangs, "Props to the chef."

I laughed at her and ate the rest of my food, retreating to my room for the night afterwards. I cuddled down into the blanket and grabbed a book from the floor, flipping it open and settling into a comfortable position.

I was snapped out of my book by my phone ringing, so i grabbed my phone and answered quickly.

"Hello?"

"Is this Eren Jaeger?"

I closed my book, "Yeah, it is. Whos this?"

"Hi, I'm calling from Trost Hospital. We have a patient here, named Levi. You know him, correct?"

My heart stopped.

"Hello? Mr. Jaeger?"

My voice was hoarse when i spoke again, "What happened to him? Is he alright?"

"Yes, Mr. Jaeger. He's doing alright. He was in a pretty nasty car crash. He has a few broken bones and some major contusions, but he's been treated. He kept asking for you."

"How bad was the car crash?"

"Mr. Levi's car flipped multiple times, and the other cars lost control and lets just say that he is a very lucky man. Mostly everyone got out without so much as a few broken ribs. We're sad to say that the driver didn't make it out as lucky as Mr. Levi did."

I spoke slowly, "What do you mean?"

"Mr. Levi was a passenger. The driver, his uncle I believe, is… well, he passed away after we had brought him in. Mr. Levi doesn't know this yet."

I gulped. His uncle was dead? Oh god, I felt like i was going to puke. Should I be happy or sad? Holy shit, "Okay. Thank you."

"You're very wel-"

I hung up and got dressed as fast as i ever had in my life.

-x-

I was hesitant to walk into Levi's room, but did it anyways. He looked up immediately when I walked in and smiled.

"Thank god you're here."

I walked over to him and set my bag down, dragging the chair over to his bed.

"Are you alright?" I asked, holding his hand. He smiled lazily.

"Yeahhh," He drawled out, "They got me on some gooood shit, Eren."

I frowned, "Yeah, that's great Levi."

His face dropped when mine did, "What's the matter?"

"Did the nurses tell you what happened yet?"

"No, what's the problem?"

I sighed and looked down at his hand in mine, "I'll tell you when you're not looped up on drugs."

"Hey now, come one don't get all sad," his hand squeezed mine weakly, "I'm okay! Really, I've been through worse."

"I know. It doesn't stop me from worrying about you."

He lifted my chin with his thumb and my eyes met his. He gave a drowsy grin and pinched my cheek, "I looove you."

I couldn't help but smile back, "Yeah, I love you too."

He laughed and laid back on his pillow, "Wow, i am fucking poo-pooped. Are you staying the night?"

"If you want me too."

"Hah, is that even a question you dork? Of course i do. You brought an overnight bag, didn't you?"

I grinned sheepishly, "Yeah."

"So why'd you bother asking?"

"I don't know."

He laughed aloofly, "Exactly."

"You're pretty funny when you're looped, Levi."

"My real name is Rivaille," He moved his gaze to mine, "Just so you know."

"What?" I asked, confused, "I thought your real name was Levi?"

"My reaaallll name is Rivaille," he coughed then grimaced, "Levi is a nickname Annie came up with because Rivaille was too hard for everyone to pronounce."

I perked up at her name, "Annie came up with it?"

"When we were teenagers," He looked away, "We were in a group of friends and everyone always said, 'What kind of name is Rivaille?' and they always pronounced it wrong… so eventually Annie got tired of my complaints and said, 'Why don't we call him Levi? It's a close match,' and it's stuck with me since then."

I cleared my throat, "What was your relationship with her, anyways?"

He was silent for a few minutes, and i was about to apologize when he spoke up, "We uh… we made drugs together," My eyes widened, "And i'm not particularly proud of it. She was kind of my rock for a few years. She had a fucked family life, i had a more fucked up family life, and we came together because of it. Shes a really, really good fighter. I mean, amazing. You should see her in action. Anyway, she was a better fighter than me at the time because she was simply making drugs, not doing them. Unlike me. I was weak and fucked up almost constantly, and i got into a lot of deep shit with a lot of bad people who wanted to, you know, hurt me. But Annie protected me," He glanced over at my shocked face, "Irvin was basically the leader of our little circle. He treated me and Annie like his kids. When i was reallllyyyy messed up on drugs, he would take me to his house and pamper me to make sure I didn't mess anything up… It was a rough time, Eren. Then when Irvin left to get a job, he left me and Annie to defend ourselves… Eventually, Annie got a job with Irvin and that left me."

"I thought you started working there when the store opened," I said, my stomach churning. The whole story was so shocking that i didn't know how to react.

"I lied. I was on my own for 2 years, and those were the years that messed me up for good. I quit drugs but got addicted to something else," He weakly held up his scarred arm, "And I got un trouble with a lot of people. One day Irvin found me being beat to unconsciousness, so he took care of the kid that was beating me and took me to his place and sat me down for a talk. Basically, he told me that i could take the job he was offering me and forget about my past life, or stay there and get killed. It's obvious what choice i chose."

"Are you happy?" I asked, searching his face. Regret and pain were apparent all over it.

"I met you, didn't I?"

I felt my heart flutter and gave a goofy laugh and quoted him, "You're such a sap, Rivaille."

"Yeah yeah. I wasn't a sap until i met you," He gave me a quirky smile and a yawn. I got up and kissed his forehead, covering him with a blanket.

"Get some sleep, Levi. I'll be over here." I say back down on the chair and pulled a pillow and blanket out of my bag.

"Wait, what were you gonna' tell me?" He said against the pillow, his eyes halfway open.

My stomach dropped. How was he going to take it? Part of me could imagine him being happy, and part me could imagine him being upset, "I said I'd tell you tomorrow."

"Well, I want to know now."

I sighed, "No, you need to be fully aware of what I'm telling you. So I'll tell you when you're actually conscious."

"Fuckin' brat," He mumbled, I walked over to the wall and flicked the light off, walking over to Levi's bed and kissing his forehead lightly.

"I love you."

A smile played on his lips, "I love you more."

I snorted, "Thats debatable."

"We can debate it when i wake up. Goodnight."

I kicked my shoes off and made myself comfortable in the chair, draping the blanket over my body, "Goodnight, Rivaille."

"My name sounds good on your lips."

I chuckled and drifted to sleep.

-x-

"Mr. Jaeger, sir."

I groaned, "Mr. Jaeger?"

"What?" I snapped finally, rubbing my eyes with my palms, trying not to let the sheer whiteness of the room affect me.

"I'm sorry to bother, but have you told Mr. Levi what happened?"

"No, he wasn't fully aware last night so I couldn't."

"Tell me what?" Levi piped up, wincing with pain as he sat up.

The nurse gave him a quick look, then looked back to me, "I'll go get your medication."

"Do you remember what happened?" I asked, getting up and moving to his side.

"Vaguely," He grunted and his face twisted up as he moved his head to look at me.

"You were in a car crash."

"I know that, Jaeger. What happened to my uncle and the other people?"

A lump formed in my throat, "Yeah thats what I was going to tell you."

A deadpan expression crossed his face, "What happened?"

I looked down, "Everyone made it out okay except for one person."

He paled immediately at my words. He knew what was coming. He let out a strangled groan when i said, "Your uncle died."

"My uncle died."

"Yeah," I said, biting my lip. His mouth was opened slightly. He brought his hands up to his face and let out another groan. I rubbed his arm as soothingly as i could.

"Hand me that pillow, Jaeger," He choked out. I grabbed it and handed it to him. He stuffed his face into it and screamed until his voice had gone out, and tears threatened to pour from my eyes. I couldn't stop his pain, and it made me hurt.

So, in a desperate attempt to soothe him, i said something so utterly stupid that I regretted the words as soon as they came out of my mouth.

"Think on the bright side; hes not there to treat you like crap anymore."

His head snapped up immediately with a look of disgust, and he wrenched his arm away from me.

"Are you fucking insane?" He spat out, venom dripping from his tongue. I backed down from his gaze sheepishly.

"He was my only family member, Eren! How the FUCK could you say something like that?! He was my uncle for Gods sake! I don't care if he made me feel like a piece of trash, he was family! He put the roof over my head, gave me a bed, and gave me food! Now that he's gone, I'm not going to be able to afford any of that! Oh my god, I'm going to throw up. Thats fucking disgusting. You should never be thankful for someones death. Never. I can't believe you," at this point, it felt like a knife was being driven into my gut, "Get out of my fucking sight. Get your stuff and leave. You disgust me. Get out."

Tears were pouring from my eyes when i stumbled over to my stuff and grabbed it.

"Don't show your face around me for a long fucking time, Jaeger."

I stumbled out of his room in grotesque sobbing.

When i finally made it to my car, i threw my stuff in the back seat, then hunched over my steering wheel and cried. And cried, and cried, cried, cried. My chest heaved as i started my car and i drove home blindly. I stumbled inside when i got home and made my way to the couch and to Mikasa's lap, sobbing so hard that she had to grip me and shake me to ask me what was wrong.

"I'm a fucking idiot, Mikasa," I cried, gripping my hair, "I ruined it. I ruined it. I'm trash, I'm shit, I'm trash." I started pounding my fists against my head.

"Eren! Holy shit, stop!" She yelled, taking my fists in her hands. I laid my head on her shoulder and cried away, she patted my back, "Calm down. Tell me what happened."

"I'm trash," I whined, gripping her shirt, "Levi's uncle died and i told him 'at least he's not here to make you feel like shit' and he got so mad at me. He told me i disgust him. I fucked it up, Mikasa. I loved him a-and he lo-loved me, but i messed it up."

She hushed me and held me against her like a baby, "Oh god, Eren… Here, let me call Armin and tell him we're not coming. You need to calm down." she softly pushed me off of her.

A sudden wave of nausea took over me and i ran to the kitchen and to the sink, heaving up all the contents of my stomach while sobbing.

I fucked up. I fucked up so bad and I couldn't believe it.

_"Get out of my fucking sight. Get your stuff and leave. You disgust me. Get out."_

I fell to my knees and Mikasa sat beside me, holding me until i couldn't cry anymore.

I fell asleep immediately when i laid down on the couch, only for my sleep to be plagued by happy thoughts of Levi.

I woke up crying.


	9. 9 - Return

-Dear god i have had the WORST stomach ache over that past few days that I excused myself from after school activities because I could barely move. Soooo this chapter is a bit longer because I've had a lot of time to write. Oh, and thanks once again for all the nice reviews

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟkeep em coming-

1 month

2 months

2 ½ months

It had been 2 ½ months since I had spoken to or seen Levi.

It had been 2 ½ months because I was a cowardly shithead who never bothered to go see him or make resolutions.

I wasn't happy anymore. I spent weekdays waking up, barely eating, working, not eating, working, going home, sleeping, eating, sleeping. Thats it. That was my routine. On weekends, I laid on the couch, occasionally with Mikasa, and cried. A lot. But that was during the first month. Now i couldn't force myself to cry, no matter how soul-crushingly miserable I was.

My co-workers tried their best to support me, even though they had no clue what had happened. One day i heard Jean say, "Maybe Levi died." And i had wanted to choke him, but decided against it. Petra offered to give me half of her lunch every day, but i always declined as politely as i could. Sasha tried to joke with me, as did Jean, but it never worked. Never. I would give a half-hearted smile. Annie had left me alone. Actually, after a few weeks, she stopped eating in the break room all together. I had desperately wanted to ask her, Irvin, or even Hanji about how Levi was doing.

But I didn't.

The only thing that ever cheered me up was Armin. I called him every day and Skyped with him every Saturday, and he always found a way to make me genuinely smile and forget about Levi for a little while. College was treating him well; he loved how the classes were actually challenging for once and he loved meeting new people. He didn't seem to need my help making friends, he had a new party to go to every Friday. He had smacked on a pair of glasses, which made his face look let-boyish, and his hair had grown long enough to where he could pull it back into a decent-sized ponytail. He always had a smile plastered on his face, unless we were talking about something serious, but as soon as the topic had passed the smile would return immediately.

As soon as we were done talking, though, I would fall right back into my pit of depression.

It never turned into hollowness or numbness, unfortunately. It was always a twisting, sick, gruesome pain in the middle of my chest, or stomach. It was always a splitting headache and sore muscles. It was never numb.

Today was not different. I stumbled downstairs and sat at my plate of food, nodding at Mikasa when she looked up at me from her cup of coffee. Instead of making two separate plates of food, she took to just making one plate and letting me pick what i want, then ate the rest when i was done. I nibbled at some toast, shoveled a bit of egg into my mouth, then took a piece of bacon back to my room to get dressed.

I got dressed and pulled on a jacket and started towards the bus stop. He hair was chilly and had turned the tip of my nose, my cheeks, and my ears red by the time i reached the stop. I boarded the bus and drove to work. I felt particularly odd today, like I was outside of my body, if that even made sense. When the bus stopped i stepped out and walked to the building, sighed at the warmth inside, then clocked in.

"Aye! Eren!" Sasha said, running up to me with a grin across her face, "I'm glad you're here! I wanted to tell you that we're having a little get together later at Petras house! A lot of us will be there and I wanted to invite you! You can bring people too!" She chirped.

I pondered for a second then decided that I might want to give it a chance. Wallowing in self-pity and sadness wasn't going to help anything, "You know, I just might. Thank you for inviting me."

She almost shattered into tiny, happy pieces, but managed to hold herself together and squeal, "Okay! I'm so glad. I'll see you at lunch!"

I smiled at her and went to my department, starting todays work. I still felt odd, but I ignored it. Today might be a little better than usual.

-x-

At lunch I wandered to the break room and everyone said hello and I smiled softly and sat down. Petra set half of her sandwich and a bag of doritos in front of me and I thanked her, eating a little then throwing it away.

"Oi, Eren, are you bringing Mikasa to Petras party later?" Jean asked, cockiness finding it way out of his mouth around all of the food.

"I'm not even sure if I'm going yet," I said, sitting back in my seat and crossing my arms.

Petras face dropped, "Oh really? I was so excited."

I shrugged, "I probably will. I'm not doing anything important tonight."

Jean snorted, "Are you ever doing anything important?"

We all gave him a mean look and he looked down at his food sheepishly, keeping quiet. We ate in silence for the most part, everyone making small comments about something unimportant.

I went back out to the store and moved to checkout, giving small smiles to everyone who came through.

About half an hour before i got off, Irvin called for Sasha to take my place at the register and for me to come to his office. My heart had sped up at the request and i could feel the hot hands of panic creeping up my throat. Had something happened to Levi? Irvins tone wasn't happy. It wasn't pleasant. Either i was getting fired or something had happened with Levi. I knocked once on his office and got no reply. There was a low murmuring inside, but i couldnt decipher the words. My hand was shaky when i knocked two more times.

The murmuring stopped, "Come in."

I turned the handle slowly and walked in, my head bowed. I closed the door behind me and stuffed my hands in my pockets.

"Have a seat," He said.

I looked up briefly and was surprised to see Annie, who looked away from me quickly as we made eye contact. I sat on the chair beside her and looked down at my lap.

"Well, I suppose you want to know why i called you in here." He started, his chair creaking as he sat back.

"It's about Levi, isn't it?" I asked quietly, twiddling my thumbs.

It was quiet. For a long time. I could probably cut the tension with a knife.

"Did he tell you about us?" Annie asked in a small voice that I didn't think she had.

"Yeah," i said, "He was on meds when he did, though."

"At least he told you," Irvin sighed. I lifted my head to meet his gaze has he talked, "I called you in here because we're all really worried. For the past few months, Levi had been hopping from my house, to Hanjis, and to Annies. He slipped back into his old ways, Eren."

The panic was making my throat dry, "What do you mean? Like, drugs?"

"Fortunately, no. The other addiction."

The panic pulled at my uvula and nausea took over me. Levi was hurting himself because of me.

"What was your relationship with him, Eren?" Annie asked. I looked over to her and sighed.

"We never labeled it," I was engulfed by sadness at the memories, "He said 'as long as we're happy, why do we have to label it?' so we never did."

"Were you romantic?" She asked hesitantly.

I gulped, "Yeah."

"Then I think you'll be able to help us."

I turned my head to him, "With what? If Levi wanted to see me, he wouldn't have sat by and done nothing to make that happen for 2 months."

"You're wrong, Eren," He said, and i saw Annie nod out of the corner of my eye and she started speaking.

"He told Hanji what happened when she went to visit. He's absolutely miserable, Eren. He feels so bad for lashing out at you. He cried all night the first night he came home and he wouldn't eat," Guilt washed over me next, "He asks me and Irvin about you everyday. Every single day. When we tell him that you're doing just as bad as him, he shuts down. He doesn't move, doesn't eat. It's absolutely heartbreaking. So we started telling him that you've been happier… and it visibly hurt him, but he wasn't a ghost."

"We haven't seen him in days," Irvin started, "None of us. We suspect he's staying in an extended stay motel, but we've checked all the ones on this side of town but he hasn't been there."

"So you need me to help you find him." I stated.

"Yes," Annie said brushing her hair behind her ear, "we all really care about him. But unfortunately, we know for a fact that he won't open the door for us. But if he knew it was you, he might. Maybe. We need you to help us."

"He told me he didn't want to see me for a long time," I choked out.

"Eren, look at me," Annie said sternly, taking my shoulders and turning me towards her, "He didn't mean any of it. He was upset. And let me tell you, when Levi is upset, he is upset. He's over-dramatic, and he tends to hurt people without meaning to. He knows what he's saying but he isn't thinking rationally. He didn't mean any of it. He was just angry and it was a bad moment. We need you."

I wiped my tears away and sobbed, cursing my emotions for choosing to make an appearance when i didn't want them to.

"You'll help, right?" Irvin asked, almost sympathetically.

I sniffled loudly and wiped my nose, "Yeah, I will."

"Good," He said, letting out a sigh, "You guys have the rest of the day off to start looking for him."

Annie pulled me up by my jacket sleeve and walked me out of the office, shooting glares to anybody who so much as looked at my tear-soaked face. She sent a particularly nasty one to Jean after he made some comment about me getting fired.

She walked me to her car and I buckled myself in the passenger seat.

"We're going to go check Trost Inn, okay? We haven't checked that one yet."

I nodded and she sighed, patting my hair, "Everything will be fine, Eren. You'll be okay and so will Levi."

I nodded once more and she took her hand away from me, starting the car.

It took half an hour to reach Trost Inn, and when we got there Annie gave me a few minutes to get myself together. When i got out i slammed the car and we made our way to check in.

"Hello, We're looking for someone named Levi? Or maybe he checked in as Rivaille. Has he checked in? Hes kind of short, has an undershave…"

I tuned her out and looked down at my shoes. One time Levi had gotten angry at me for not taking care of them.

"Jaeger, those shoes are practically falling apart. Don't you know how to take care of shoes?" He had said, taking a long drag from his cigarette. I had looked down at my shoes self-consciously, "Well, yeah, I guess. I've had these for 4 years, so they're bound to be a little beat up."

"Tch," He had pointed to his own pair of grey converse, "7 years, kid. Treat them right and they'll be your best friends. Best pair of shoes I've ever owned," He had smiled at them before stomping his cigarette out with them. That was the end of our smoke break.

"Eren? You okay?" I snapped out of it and looked up at Annie.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said.

Annie nodded, "She said she's seen someone matching his description a few days. She said to check room 54." My heart sped up at her words.

"Okay, lets go."

We made our way up to the second level and i watched the room numbers go by.

45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 40, 51, 52, 53.

Then we were there, at room 54. The number 4 was practically falling off and the paint was peeling off of the door.

"You ready?" She whispered, giving my arm a reassuring squeeze.

I took a deep breath, "Yeah."

She nodded and knocked lightly on the door.

Once, twice. No answer.

Three times, then four. No answer.

Five times, then six. No-

"Oi, who is it?" A voice croaked from inside. Annie looked back at me swiftly and jerked her head towards the door and i took the hint, stepping close to it and clearing my throat.

"It's me, Eren." I said in a shaky voice.

It was quiet for a few tense seconds. I laid my palm on the door and sighed, "Rivaille," calling him by his real name might woo him out even more, "if you're in there, please open the door."

Silence.

Then the doorknob started to move. I jerked my hand back and Annie came to my side. I wasn't prepared for the sight i saw next.

Levi looked… horrible. His hair was knotted and messy, and his pale skin looked sickeningly pale. He was shirtless and had on a pair of slacks. I dared to look at his arms. The one with the scars on it were covered in neat rows of red, deep wounds that started at his elbow and extended to his shoulder. My breath caught in my throat and i searched as much of his face as i could while it was lowered. He had creases in his forehead and the bags under his eyes were dark and puffy. His lips were pink and moist, as always.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice sounding strained.

"We were worried about you, Levi. When you didn't show up at Hanjis, or anyones, house for a few-"

"I asked Eren," He said sourly, and Annie backed down.

"I wanted to help find you," I said softly.

"You hate me though," He said, his voice breaking on the last syllable.

"I don't," I said, rubbing the back of my neck, "I could never hate you."

He looked up at me and I struggled to make eye contact with him. He searched my face with a sigh and moved aside, "Come in."

"Me too?" Annie asked.

Levi paused for a moment then shook his head, "I need some time with him."

She nodded and said, "I'll go wait in the car.

I walked in and the smell of tobacco and vodka hit me. It also smelled like Levi, which wasn't particularly bad, but it made me sad. I took a seat in a chair and he sat across from me, and when he did, the air seemed to get thicker; literally. I looked up and saw hei had lit a cigarette. It wasn't thin and black like the cloves and it smelled awful.

We sat in silence for a few minutes and then he spoke, "I'm sorry for what I said."

I nodded and he ran a hand thru his disheveled hair, "I was in shock, Eren. I'm so fucking sorry… I could never hurt you, I don't know what I was thinking. That wasn't me saying that. I'm so sorry."

His words played over and over in my mind, "You disgust me."

"Get out."

"Don't show your face around here for a long time."

I started sobbing and I laid my head on the table, letting the tears stain my jacket sleeve and the powerful sobs take over my body. Levi remained silent and put his cigarette out, rubbing his temples with his palms. MInutes passed before my sobbing fit passed and the tears were silent, so i lifted my head up and wiped my eyes, staining my jacket more in the process. Levi searched my face with soul-crushing pain in his eyes and I stared back, sniffling and coughing.

"Are you sure you don't hate me?" He asked softly.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm just hurt."

He shook his head and slapped his hand over his heart, "When you say that, it feels like i'm being pulled and tugged around by my heart. It makes me sick to my stomach that I hurt you. I feel like the cancer of the human race, Jaeger. And don't act like you don't see my arm. Thats because i know i hurt you and… and i thought i fucked up so bad so i had to hurt myself like i hurt you," His eyes were brimmed with tears, "I thought you never wanted to see me again."

"The feelings mutual," I sobbed, covering my face, "You were so mad…"

Then everything happened at once; he got up from his chair and pulled me to him, onto the floor, and cried into my hair. I clung to him and squeezed his arms, crying onto his bare chest quietly. We just sat there, crying to each other. He traced along my spine, sniffed my hair, squeezed me tighter, everything. I eventually calmed down enough to pull away from him and take his hands in mine.

"I love you, you know that?" I said, kissing his hand softly. He nodded and i kissed his knuckle again, "Don't hurt yourself anymore." Guilt crossed his face and he nodded again, looking at our intertwined fingers.

I don't know how long we sat there, but Annie had texted me telling me that she had gone back to tell Irvin and Hanji that we found him and to call her when we were ready to come back.

"So, do you want to get out of here?" I asked, standing up and dusting myself off.

"No," He whispered, "I just want to have one more day without their questions and stuff."

"That means staying in this gross hotel for another night," I said, sitting down on the creaky bed.

"It's not gross if you're here." My heart started to race.

"So you want me to stay with you tonight?" I asked cautiously.

He sighed, "What do you think? I don't think I should be left alone with myself for a long time."

"Alright," I said quietly, "I just have one question."

He pulled himself off of the floor and snatched a shirt hanging from the dresser and put it on, coming to sit by me once more, "What?"

"Where are you planning on staying?" I asked, laying back on the mattress.

"I don't know," He scratched the back of his head, "I've already left the trailer. I've wanted to get away from there for 13 years, so theres no way i was going to stay…" He sighed, "Most of my stuff is at Hanji's house. She can only let me stay there for so long, though, because of her roommate. We don't get along. So i'll just house-hop."

"You… You can stay with me until you get back on your feet. Then I'll help you with all that," I said, looking up at the back of his head. He turned around and looked at me with his eyebrow raised and i gave him a nervous smile.

"Are you sure?" He asked, turning his whole body around to face me, "You're still upset at me, thats obvious, so I'd think you'd want your space, not for me to move in with you. Besides, what about your sister or dad?"

"I've had my space for three months," I said flatly, and he looked down at his hands sadly, "We have a spare bedroom with a bed, a dresser, and a TV that nobody is using. And don't worry about them; Mikasa doesn't get a say because she doesn't know your situation and my dad is never home."

"You wont let me say no anyway, will you?" He asked, giving me a small smile.

I laughed and shook my head, "Nope."

"Okay, then. I'll stay with you," He pulled out a cigarette then looked at it for a few seconds before sighing and stuffing it back in the box, throwing the whole thing on the floor. He fell back onto the bed next me me and scooted up to the pillows, grabbing a remote, "Up for some crappy cable?"

I gave a goofy smiled and my butterflies fluttered around in my stomach. I was so, so happy to have him back, "Of course." I scooted back on the pillows too and wedged a pillow under my neck for support. We watched a game show quietly for a few hours.

"Hey, Eren," Levi asked quietly, almost sleepily, "Come here real quick."

I scooted over to him and he pressed me close, making my breathing hitch. He buried his face in the crook of my neck and inhaled deeply, "Jesus, i never thought i'd miss the way someone smells…" He planted small kisses all up my neck and on my jaw, making me shiver and hold him closer. My mouth was suddenly engulfed by his; and it was a needy kiss, filled with greed and want. It was forceful and needy, and it made me so fucking happy. I had him back. He was here, kissing me, and i had every opportunity in the world to touch him and sigh into his ear. I could do whatever i want, and it made me so fucking happy. I opened my mouth on command and let him explore freely. He pulled back from the kiss and gasped, tangling his fingers in my hair and pressing his forehead to mine.

"You have no clue how much I love you, Jaeger. You make me feel like a real person."

"I love you too," I murmured, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

We spent the rest of the night whispering 'I love you's to each other between kisses.

**** It was good to have him back.


	10. 10 - Steps

-yeahhh i'm getting writers block on this story and i'm not sure where to go with it. I have a lot of different ideas in my head but every time i write them it turns out blah and blaahhhhh. But yeah, thanks for your support guys i really appreciate it uvu-

I was confused as to where i was when I woke up - The starchy brown comforter wasn't mine and neither was the cheap digital alarm clock that faintly glowed '9:54 AM'. What definitely wasn't mine was the hair that was in my face. When i caught a whiff of it, I relaxed immediately, realizing who's it was. I yawned loudly and buried my face in his neck, smiling contently. He stirred briefly, then relaxed against me.

"Are you awake?" I asked quietly.

He made a soft noise then went rigid, sitting up quickly then looking at me with confused eyes, "You…"

I cocked an eyebrow at him, "Me…?"

His face relaxed then he let out a puff of breath, "I forgot about yesterday for a second."

I nodded and pulled him back down to me, and he settled under my arms, pressing his forehead to mine. Before i pressed my lips to his, he pulled back, "Nah."

I furrowed my brows in annoyance, "What?"

"You stink. You're brushing your teeth before you even think about kissing me," He said, rolling over. I groaned and swung my legs off of the bed, standing up quickly. All the blood rushed to my head and i blinked a few times, wobbling and trying to regain my composure.

"You can shower while you're at it," He said rolling back over. I studied the soft, unmarked skin of his back, "Go on, Eren, stop staring at me. It's weird." I blushed and did as i was told, shuffling over to the bathroom. I flicked a light on and was met with an angry sight.

I would have never thought Levi would let his surroundings get dirty, but this bathroom proved otherwise. There was an empty whiskey bottle on the counter and a half-empty vodka bottle sitting in the sink. The thing that made me shudder the most, though, were the 3 different sized razor blades sitting on the counter. There was a small box of them nestled behind the faucet and I could see the unmarked steel of a clean razor poking out of the box. I studied the 3 razors that were in front of me; one was stained with a dull red and one was bent slightly. The other wasn't just stained, it was coated in dried blood. There wasn't one spot of silver on the entire thing. My blood started to race and i could feel myself get nauseous again. I stepped forward and pulled back the cheap shower curtain to see a sight that made me want to scream.

There was a blood-stained washrag laying the middle of a tub and multiple bottles of unmarked pills on the corners of the tub. Small white pills that had escaped from their containers were dotted around the bottom of the tub. My mind was clouded and i stumbled backwards into something warm and soft. I whirled around and was met with Levi's panicked face. I backed away from him and started spewing out apologies, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know it would go to this. I'm so sorry, it's my fault you had to resort to this. Holy shit, I'm-"

"Oh my god, brat, shut your mouth for a second, will you?" He said, closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose. I frowned and looked down at the floor, "I should apologize, okay? I said the words that caused all this and i let 3 months go by without trying to solve anything. You didn't do anything wrong and you don't have to justify not coming to see me. Okay?"

I nodded and he lifted my chin so my eyes met his, "I'm sorry you had to see this. Just… start gathering my stuff into a pile and I'll clean up in here, alright? You can shower and stuff at your house. I'm sick to my stomach with the fact you had to see this, actually...ugh. Okay, go on." He kissed the corner of my mouth lightly and i went back out to the room, starting my task. I gathered all the clothes from the chair most were draped over and laid them on the bed. I continued until Levi came back in. I turned to his and saw his hands were empty.

"I threw everything away, just so you know."

"Everything…?" I asked skeptically.

He rolled his eyes, "Yes, everything. I wont ever do anything like that again."

I felt my lip quiver and i rushed over to him, enveloping him in a hug. He sighed and didn't hug me back, but pushed me off, "Eren, come on. Stop being sappy and help me pack up," He turned away and I sighed and helped him pack.

-x-

Annie picked us up from the hotel and Levi didn't speak to her or make eye contact with her; and she respected that and simply told him 'goodbye' when he got out of the car. I, on the other hand, had been pulled into a hug and thanked for my help. She left us in the parking lot of JC Pennys and we walked swiftly to my car, wanting to get away from the cold. I told Levi to get in the passenger seat and that I would load his stuff into the car. He had been stubborn about it, but had eventually gotten cold enough to where he grumbled a 'fine' and stomped over to the car.

It was a silent ride home. Levi was looking out the window throughout the whole trip. I cut the car off and got out when we got home, intending to get to the trunk before Levi did so I could carry his stuff. Unfortunately, I forgot how fast Levi is and didn't make it there on time; I was met with a smirk. I rolled my eyes and went to unlock the door, stepping inside and sighing at the warm air.

"It's dark," I commented, holding the door open so Levi could get through with all of his things, "Mikasa probably isn't home, which is good. I can text her and tell her that you're staying here." Levi set his stuff down and closed the door behind him.

"Take my stuff to the room. Since i don't know where it is." I nodded and picked up his stuff, heading upstairs and to last room. Nobody has been in this room for a long time; it had been vacant ever since mom died. It used to be her sewing room. I opened the door with a long sigh and Levi stepped around me, examining the room that he could call his now.

"Shame," He muttered after a few seconds. Before i had a chance to ask what he meant, he turned to me, "This room is absolutely filthy."

I arched an eyebrow and set his stuff on the ground, "What? Nobody has been in this room in years."

He clicked his tongue and crossed his arms, "Exactly. A room needs to be cleaned, even if nobody sleeps in it, kid."

"What…"

"Guess i'm staying in your room," He shrugged, walking towards the door.

"W-Wait a second! You can't," He gave me a questioning look, "Well, i wouldn't mind it, of course, but it would probably be in Mikasa's best interests if you had your own room." He was quiet then sighed loudly, mumbling a 'fine'.

"You're going to help me clean, then. And put a new set of sheets on this bed. These are atrocious," He said, thumbing the fabric.

-x-

I collapsed in my bed and Levi chuckled, sitting alongside me, "Oh come on, it wasn't that bad."

I propped myself up on my elbows and stared at him, "You wouldn't be saying that if you had been the one cleaning. You didn't do anything! You just sat there!"

"Hey now, thats not true. I unpacked."

"But i'm the one who put up your clothes!" I cried, falling back on the bed. Levi chuckled and patted my chest.

"Come on, get up. You need to go shower."

I whined and complied, sitting up slowly. My whole body was sore. Levi was right when he said the room was dirty; dust, dead bugs, feces of unknown animals, etcetera. It made me feel disgusted to know that my house had all of this in it. Every time i thought i was done cleaning, i would be met with a "Oi, Eren, look over here."

"You know, I might just shower with you," He purred to me, scooting closer and settling his hand on my thigh. I froze and gulped loudly, earning a chuckle and another hot, breathy comment in my ear, "It'll be the cleanest, and dirtiest, you'll ever get." I choked out a groan and he hooted a laugh, pushing me off of the bed. I stumbled and got to my feet, shooting a glare to him. He smirked and gestured to my pants, "Nice tent."

I blushed furiously and stomped over to the dresser, grabbing clean clothes, "It's your fault."

"I know."

"I hate you," I sulked, throwing the door open.

"Don't have too much fun, now!" He yelled and I made sure to slam the bathroom door behind me. I stripped down and turned the water on, slipping in and sighing at the relief the warm water brought. I washed myself quickly, wanting to stay in longer, but keeping in mind that Levi was in my room, waiting for me. I got out and brushed my teeth quickly. I cursed under my breath when i realized i hadn't grabbed a clean pair of boxers. I didn't dare put on the ones i had on earlier; that was gross. So instead, I dressed in a pair of basketball shorts and a white t-shirt.

I opened my door and Levi looked up at me from a book. I smiled at him and closed to door behind me. The TV was on and stationed on a nature survival show. I raked a hand through my wet hair and Levi held up my phone, "Your sister says shes out for the night. And Armin called."

"He can wait a couple days," I mumbled flopping down and edging my way into his lap. He set the book aside and pulled my body between his legs and i settled on my back. He sighed contently and i did the same, moaning softly in approval as he started running his nimble fingers through my hair. I closed my eyes and he continued, taking sections of hair and pulling them through his fingers from my roots to the ends. I started to drift off and Levi's movements got slower.

I did end up sleeping for a few minutes before i was woken up by Levi bending over and planting his lips on mine softly. I opened my eyes promptly, and he pulled back with a relaxed look on his face, "What was that for?"

"I just couldn't help it," He said, brushing a thumb over my bottom lip, "You're too cute when you're sleeping."

I felt my face heat up and a evil look crossed his face, "I really wished I would have joined you in that shower."

I looked over to the side with embarrassment as the heat in my face spread down my neck.

"Oh no, don't get all shy on me," He said, softly grabbing my jaw and pulling it to look up at him. He removed my head from his lap and flipped to hover over me in one swift motion. He looked down at me with an odd glint in his eye. I studied his eyes for a second, and it hit me how much i had missed those eyes. From the thin, dark eyebrows to the small, but beautifully shocking, grey orbs. I loved each one of his eyelashes and every small crinkle that magically appeared when he flashed one of his dazzling smiles. My eyes started to water and my chest started to hurt. I loved him so much, and I had missed him more than anything in my entire life.

His face twisted with worry at the droplets seeping from the corners of my eyes, "Eren? What's the matter?"

I shook my head and brought my hands up to wipe my tears away, "Nothing. I just… I missed you a lot, Levi."

He sighed and kissed my forehead, "Yeah, I missed you a lot too. More than words could ever describe."

I let the tears flow freely and he brushed them off of my cheeks, pressing his lips to my forehead, "You're so silly, letting yourself cry over me.." He murmured.

"I know," I sobbed, wiping my nose with my wrist, "But i can't help it."

"I love you," he whispered, brushing his lips over mine, not giving me time to reply. He pressed his lips to mine and i returned the kiss, more tears spilling out of my eyes from the passion he put into the kiss. He pushed his tongue into my mouth and I shivered at the sensation of his tongue pressing to the roof of my mouth. He gathered my hair in his fist and pulled gently, and i complied with his actions, moving to lean against the pillow. He straddled me and continued his attack on my mouth, tenderly brushing his fingertips along my scalp.

He tore his lips away from mine and latched onto my neck quickly, planting sweet kisses all around, careful to leave marks where i could hide them. I moaned softly and arched into him. He turned my head to get more access to my neck, and i hummed appreciatively at the wet kisses being trailed down my pale skin. Levi stopped at the neckline of my shirt and started to pull it off from the bottom, and i helped him, pulling it completely off of me. He dove to my nipple and sucked it into his mouth, eliciting a soft groan from me. He rolled the bud between his teeth and moved to the other one, graciously sucking. He soon got bored with it and kissed down to my navel, hooking a finger under the waistband of my shorts. He looked up at me for approval, and the sight almost made me finish right then and there. His cheeks were dusted with a deep pink and the tops of his ears were bright red. His hair was messy and his eyes were clouded with lust. It was a sight that I wouldn't forget in a million years.

"You know, if you think i look good now, it's going to shock you how good i look with your cock in my mouth," He whispered huskily, reading my mind. I nodded eagerly and he smirked, yanking down my shorts in one swift motion. I kicked them from around my ankles and Levi settled between my legs, admiring my manhood. I felt tiny and vulnerable under his gaze.

"So beautiful…" He breathed, making me squirm. I could feel his hot breath on my skin as he studied me, rubbing his thumb over the tip. I rolled my head back and moaned, making him

chuckle, "And i barely even touched you. Your body is so honest, Eren. I've never seen someone so honest." He flicked his tongue out quickly, planting a small lick to my tip. I ground myself into the mattress.

"Stop teasing me," I hissed, rolling my hips around in his hand. He chuckled and looked up at me from under his lashes, smoldering grey eyes piercing holes through mine.

"As you wish," He hummed, suddenly licking a long train from my balls to the tip of my dick. I yelped at the foreign feeling, then drawled out a loud moan when he swirled his tongue over my tip. God, it felt so...good. I couldn't form any coherent thoughts and blubbered out nonsense as he sucked me roughly, removing any drips of precum that had gathered on my slit.

"Holy shit, Rivaille," I groaned, tangling my fingers in his hair. His eyes fluttered to meet mine as he took me deep down his throat, and i struggled to maintain eye contact. I swore i was going to finish right there as I touched the back of his throat. He kept eye contact as his nose touched the group of curly chestnut hairs on my crotch. I let out a strangled noise, close to that of a dying animal, and rolled my hips around in his mouth. I pushed his head down and squeezed his hair tighter. He raised an eyebrow but complied, moving his head up and down slowly. I bit down of my lip hard, hissing and throwing my head back. He was right when he said that he would look better with my cock in his mouth; the way it fit perfectly into his mouth made it look like it was made just for him, and the lust that clouded his eyes made me want even more. The deep red blush that was splattered over his cheeks made me groan. All in all, i was suffering from sensory overload.

"Levi," I whined, rolling my hips around some more, "I-I'm going to c-cum."

To my extreme dismay, he removed me from his throat with a loud 'pop'. He moved away from me quickly and got off the bed, leaving my cock red, wet, and swollen. I watched as he practically tore his shirt off and undid his pants quickly, dropping them and standing stark-naked in front of me. I took in every inch of his skin with my eyes; his thighs were a milky white and his dick was standing at attention, pink and swollen. I had thought Levi was crazy when he said mine was beautiful, but now i knew exactly what he had meant. It was amidst a nicely-groomed and pitch black tuft of hair and it curved slightly upward, each vein and crease clearly visible. I swallowed hard and looked up at his smirking face.

"You're so beautiful, Levi," I choked out. He snorted and stepped close to me, taking my hair in his fist. I looked up at him with a questioning look and he looked right back down, raising an eyebrow.

"Well?"

"Well what?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes, "Are you going to return the favor?"

I felt my cheeks flame, "O-Oh! Yeah, of c-course. If you want me too?"

"I've got my dick in your face, what do you think?"

"I've never done it before," I muttered, looking down to the floor.

"Hey," He said sternly, using my hair to turn my head to his cock, "Don't worry, alright? As you know, it's the most sensitive thing on your body, so almost anything you do is bound to feel good."

I nodded and cautiously took his erection into my hand, pressing it to his stomach so i could lick along the underside. He let out a puff of breath, and i kissed back down his shaft. He grunted in approval as i licked along his balls, stroking his erection. I looked up at him and saw a sight a would love to see over and over; his head was tilted back slightly, and his mouth was open a tad. His eyes were shut tightly. His chest heaved up and down as i continued to slowly drag my tongue all over him, making sure he was nice and wet before i captured the tip in my mouth and sucked vigorously, just like he had done.

"Holy… Eren, are you sure this is your first time?" He asked, looking down at me with wild eyes. I popped him out of me and was about to say something, when he yanked my hair, "I didn't say stop, brat."

I nodded and took him back into my mouth, maintaining eye contact with him the whole time. His eyes widened as i slowly slid all of him down my throat, quickly learning to breathe out of my nose. He moaned in ecstasy when my nose hit the tuft of hair, and i closed my eyes, breathing out of my nose slowly. I started bobbing my head back and forth, and his grip in my hair tightened along with a, "F- Fuck! Fucking hell, Eren!"

I weakly moved my tongue inside of my mouth, sliding it along as much of him as i could. He groaned and thrusted weakly into my throat, causing me to make a gross gagging noise. I slowly slid him out of my mouth and looked up at him, breathing heavily. A small strand of saliva connected from my lip to the tip of Levi's dick, and i broke it with my finger, causing it to fall to my skin. I looked up at him and gave him sheepish, embarrassed smile.

"Gross," He groaned, wiping the spit onto his thumb and then onto my lip. I licked my lips and started towards his dick again, rubbing my lips along the sides and sucking softly, as if i was trying to leave hickeys. I took him down my throat once more, and in response got a string of curses and grunts.

I was getting into it, sucking and licking sloppily. I delivered a particularly urgent suck, and was met with a very loud grunt a warm, sticky liquid being shot down my throat. I stopped my movement until the liquid was done shooting out of Levi, then swirled my tongue over his tip once more and swallowed his seed. I pulled away and looked up at him. His mouth was hanging open and he was staring down at me with amazement.

"What?" I asked curiously.

He flopped back onto the bed, sitting up against the pillows, "You swallowed without me telling you that i was going to cum." I shrugged.

"...You're fucking amazing." He said, shutting his eyes with a sigh. We sat there for a few minutes and I looked down at my throbbing, and still very hard, dick.

"Eh, Rivaille…" I said, looking over at him.

He opened his eyes slowly, sleepily, "Hmmm?"

I shyly gestured to my raging erection and he let out a loud laugh, "Oh yeah! Almost forgot. Come here."

I furrowed my brows angrily but complied. He instructed me to lean against his chest, my back facing him. He settled his chin into the crook of my neck, kissing the shell of my ear and making me shiver.

"So, what should I do to get rid of this?" He whispered huskily into my ear.

I gulped and looked down at my deep red erection, "I… i don't know! Whatever will get me off."

"Tch," he said, biting into my flesh softly, "So you'd rather i just carelessly flop your dick around in my hands until you come? Or do you want me to cover my hand in spit, grasp your dick, and slowly stroke you? I could flick my wrist each time i reach the end of your luscious dick. I could whisper exactly what I want to do to you in your ear while i knead your balls. Or, i could just jack you off. Which do you want more?"

I groaned at his words, "The… the other one."

He laughed happily and took me in his hand, doing exactly what he had described to me. He squeezed with the exact right amount of pressure, he licked along my ear and neck, he rolled my balls around in his hand. He had me squirming underneath his grasp in no time.

"Believe me, Jaeger, this is as vanilla as we're going to get," He growled to me, "Once your comfortable, I'll be handcuffing you to the bed. I'll be pushing your face into the sheets as I slide myself inside you, so slow, so slow that you try to push against me, but i just grind your face into the sheets even more. I'll lick and tease you while you're blindfolded and tied up. I'll lick everywhere besides where you want it. You'll be crying big tears and begging me to just please, please touch you. Then i will. And i wont stop. I'll suck and jerk and rub until you cum hard, but i wont stop. I'll keep going until you become an over-sensitive mess," I moaned and rolled my head back onto his shoulder as he picked his pace up, flicking his wrist at the end of each gracious stroke, "You like that, don't you?"

"Y-yes!" I breathed out, pushing my hips into his hand. He stroked harder, faster, and i felt the coil in my stomach about to come undone, "L-Levi i'm going to cu…. Ah, shit!" I exclaimed as he squeezed me tightly, alternating between short strokes around the top of my length and long, deep ones towards the base. It wasn't long before the coil in my stomach snapped free, causing me to make a strange noise from the back of my throat. I blacked out for a moment and Levi stopped his movement, making a self-satisfied noise. He wiped his hand on the white shirt that was hanging on the side of the bed.

"Why do you always have to clean up on my clothes?" I whined.

"Shut up," He mumbled, pulling me off of him and under the blankets. I settled next to him, my naked body pressed against him, "You know what I would do when I was done torturing you?" He asked softly.

"Mmm, what?" I asked drowsily, basking in my post-orgasm bliss.

"I would take you to the shower and clean you off, then I would dress you in the most comfortable clothes I could find. Then i would cuddle with you, just like we are now. I would whisper soft 'i love you's in your ear and kiss your neck until you fell asleep."

I smiled at him and he brushed some hair away from my forehead, planting a small kiss.

We both fell asleep in a matter of minutes.

-x-

We woke up and dressed quickly when Mikasa came home.

"Mikasa!" I called. She turned to see me and Levi walking down the stairs. When she caught sight of him, her nostrils flared out with anger. Levi seemed to notice this and kept quiet as i talked, "Okay, I get that this is new, but he had no place to stay. He's staying in the spare bedroom until he can get a new apartment or something."

"Who fucking said?" MIkasa yelled.

I furrowed my eyebrows and retorted back just as angrily, "He needs a place to stay! It's my house too, you know! You're not the only one-"

"Oi, Eren."

We both whipped around to face him, "I can understand her anger," Mikasa gave him a questioning look, "But hear me out, alright? I know what I did was shitty, I'm fully aware and i am sorry with my whole heart. This is only temporary, too. I'll help all i can; I'll clean and cook if i have to. I just need a chance. I'll try not to fuck it up." The softness in his tone made me give him a look as if he were a psycho, but Mikasa simply narrowed her eyes.

"Fine. Keep your hands off my brother when I'm around, though," She said through gritted teeth and walked away.

****

Before she stomped away, I saw her take note of the dark purple bruises all over my neck and groaned internally. This is not going to be easy.


	11. 11 - Gift

-NOTE: Now that i actually know the dates of their birthdays, lets act like i never said Levi's birthday was in October hahaha-

-SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! Ive been /really/ busy and i wanted to make this chapter longer than the others because…. well, lets just say you're not going to appreciate what i have in store for this story hahhahahahaa. Anyway, enjoy and thank you guys for the support/reviews/etc!-

"Shh," I smoothed his sweat-soaked hair out of his eyes and sighed at the time; 3 am, "It was only a dream."

He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, raising a shaky palm to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

This had become a common occurrence. On the first night Levi stayed, it had scared the shit out of me when I was woken up by a piercing scream. I had scrambled into his room and shook him furiously, terrified. I had pulled him into my lap and cried in his hair, and he had been the one who comforted me. Now, the tables had turned. Every night it was the same thing; we would hang out in my room until I fell asleep, then he would go to his room. Then, every night, he would wake me up with loud groaning or loud screaming. I would walk to his room quickly and shake him awake. It scared me, yes, but he couldn't control it. It pained me to see him like that, and it especially pained me when he flinched away from my hand when I woke him up. But slowly, slowly, he would come to his senses, ask me for a glass of water, and urge me into his bed. I would lay next to him only after he had chugged his whole glass of water and sleep the rest of the night with him.

"Can I have-"

"Yeah," I said smoothly, getting up and heading to the bathroom. I filled the cup on the side of the sink with water and walked back to the room. He took the glass and downed it quickly, giving it back to me. I studied his tired expression for a few minutes, taking in his dry lips and the purple bags under his eyes.

Levi had been living with me for two months now. It was rocky, yeah, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Mikasa and him were almost polar opposites and couldn't stand each other's presence for more than 10 minutes. The only common interests they shared were cooking and cleaning, which they still fought over;

"Who the fuck puts sugar in chili?" Mikasa had sneered.

"It's brown sugar, you dumb shit," He barked back, snatching the spoon away from her, "It's not even sweet like regular sugar."

"It's still sugar!"

"I'm putting it in there. You can thank me later," He retorted.

When Mikasa was done throwing a string of insults at him, she finally tasted the chili. I look of surprise crossed her face and she grew silent, earning a cocky snort out of Levi, who leaned back in his chair and looked at me happily. I laughed quietly, and received a death glare from Mikasa.

Then there was Thanksgiving. Levi and Mikasa started arguing as soon as they were ready to cook, so I had to split them up and give them separate duties. I gave Levi the task of cooking the turkey, and had smirked cockily at Mikasa. It ended up being the best turkey I had ever had. Armin came down from Rosewell, and everything had gone wonderful when I introduced Levi and Armin to each other;

"Ive heard a lot about you,' Armin had said with a nervous smile. Levi had chuckled happily and replied, "Oh, I can imagine how much of a good impression Eren gave you." They shared a few laughs and I had thanked the high heavens that everything went over smoothly.

The combined pressure of cleanliness from Mikasa and Levi annoys me to no end, but it also means that the house is always in impeccable condition. There were no strange scents coming from a corner in my room, and there was no cockroach remains scattered through the house. One time i had spilled cranberry juice onto a new white carpet Levi had bought to put in his room, and had whacked me on the back of the head, and decided that from that point forward, whacking my head was a plausible solution to my uncleanliness. Mikasa didn't mind seem to mind, in fact, she smiled tightly, trying to hold back a laugh, whenever he did.

I liked to think that the reason Levi was so anal about keeping this house particularly cleaner than anything else he owns is because he never had that chance to do so when he lived with his uncle.

"Eren," Levi demanded, looking up at me with furrowed brows, "Come on, lay down so we can both go back to sleep."

I smiled and took my place next to him, pulling him against me. It didn't take long, maybe a week after the routine started, for me to notice that Levi preferred to be held than to hold people. Not that I had a problem with it, of course. I kissed his forehead lightly, and he took a shaky breath.

"I've never really thanked you, have I, Jaeger?" He asked quietly

"For?" I asked, nuzzling into the crook of his neck.

"Everything. Just being you, mostly."

I smiled and warmth radiated through me, "You're welcome, I guess. It's really not that much of a struggle living with you, you know."

He snorted, "Whatever you say. Go to sleep now."

I fell asleep tracing circles on his back

-x-

The morning started off like every other one; Levi woke before me and elbowed me, waking me up. We both dragged ourselves out of the warm, comfy bed and made our way downstairs. I waved at Mikasa, who was sitting at the table with her laptop stationed in front of her and a cup of coffee gripped tightly in her hands. Levi yawned and went to pour himself his own cup, and when i asked him, he simply replied, "make your own. I'll cook."

I took a seat by Mikasa, "Good morning."

She looked up at me, her lips turning upwards into one of her signature smiles, "Hey sleepyhead."

"How'd you-"

"Jesus fuck!" Levi cried. I snapped my head around to see him hopping wildly behind the counter. I rushed over and saw him furiously shaking his foot, a large yellow blob floating around, "Get me a fucking towel, Eren!"

I cracked up suddenly, and Mikasa joined me. Levi gave me a fiery look as i hunched over, wheezing and tears spilling from my eyes. I grabbed a towel and he snatched it from me, swiping the egg yolk from his foot, "Oh my god, Levi, It's just an egg!"

"It's fucking filthy!" He seethed, whipping around to give me a harsh look, pointing the towel in my direction. I gripped the counter for support and sputtered out laughter as he ran the towel under water and scrubbed in between his toes with it. Mikasa had her face buried in her elbow, laughter rocking her whole body.

"Go," He said through gritted teeth, pushing me from the kitchen, "Go get dressed."

I stumbled up the stairs, laughing blindly. I went to my room and closed the door, stripping my clothes off and picking out something quickly, trying to hurry before i got cold. One thing Levi insisted was that we only use the heater at night to save money. I didn't really mind because I always felt hot, but when I was stark naked, I didn't exactly appreciate it. I pulled my shoes on and got out my heavy sweatshirt, snuggling into it. I headed to the bathroom to scrub my teeth, finishing quickly and heading downstairs. To my surprise, Mikasa and Levi were actually talking. I stood near the entrance to the kitchen and listened intently;

"... So I was thinking I could surprise him with that. Does it sounds okay?"

"I don't know, I can imagine that he'd be upset that you're spending your money on him. You do know you're supposed to be saving up to rent an apartment, don't you?"

There was silence and the sizzling and popping of bacon. Spend money on what? Surprise me with what?

"I'm going to ask him to live with me when I finally do get one," He turned the stove off and put the bacon on a separate plate, "I can only hope we won't be freaked out about not living with you, or whatever. He seems really attached to you and that blond kid… what's his name again?"

"His name is Armin. If you want to date my brother you'd better learn his best friends name," She said bitterly, "Besides, I'm basically his only family, of course hes attached to me."

"Right," He started putting food on plates, "Well, anyway, what do you think about the watch thing? I'd just like to do something nice for him, you know?"

"Yeah," She took a long sip from her coffee, "He definitely deserves it."

"Then it's settled," he turned and set two plates on the counter, one for me and one for him. He walked over to Mikasa and set her plate in front of her, "I'll go on my lunch break today and buy it for him. No matter how many times he calls or texts you, don't tell him."

"I won't," She paused, then sighed, "Look, I know i'm not exactly the nicest person, but I'm really happy you're here. Eren just seems a million times happier with you here. You're really good for him, Levi."

"Thank you, Mikasa," I could hear the smile in his voice, "It's good for me to be here, too."

I digested what I had just heard. Mikasa and Levi getting along? No, I must be hearing things. Buy me what? What was he talking about? I thought back to when we had been shopping together, browsing the store, admiring all the things we couldnt have. Then it snapped.

The watch!

"Oh wow, look at this, Rivaille!" I had said, pressing my finger against the window. It was a beautiful watch; a fine leather strap and a large, white and gold face with 3 fancy dials. I had no clue what they were for, but it made the watch look even fancier. I stared with wonder into the glass.

"You like that one, hm?" He asked, walking up beside me and bending over slightly to get a better look at it, "Oh wow, it is really nice."

"Yeah," I breathed, watching as the light bounced elegantly off of the golden dials, "God, I'd kill for the money to buy something like this. How great would that be?"

"You really like this watch?" He asked, looking up at me with his usual expression.

"I love it. I absolutely love it," I breathed.

Levi 'hmphed', "Too bad we're poor, yeah? Lets go on to the next store," He tugged on my jacket sleeve and dragged me away from the window.

There was no way Levi had money for that! We struggled to pay the bills and feed ourselves, how could be buy me something that was $400? Mikasa was right, I am angry that he would spend his money on me. But… the watch was so beautiful. And it was such a nice thing to do. I shook my head and sighed, turning the corner and entering the kitchen.

"Oh, there you are. I finished cooking," Levi gestured to plate of eggs, bacon, and toast. I smiled at him and sat next to him, eating silently.

After breakfast, Levi finished eating and we walked to the bus stop together, huddling close to each other for warmth. When we got to the store, we went our separate ways.

"Hi, Eren!" Sasha beamed, "I'm glad you and Levi could make it today! It's pretty cold out, huh?"

I smiled at her and folded the clothes in front of me mindlessly, "Yeah, It's freezing. I'm glad we could make it too."

"They probably warmed each other up, if you catch my drift," I heard Jean say behind me, a smirk clearly evident in his voice. I turned to face him and give him a glare, he laughed loudly at me, "Don't deny it, prettyboy, you know you guys go home every night and cuddle up together. You guys act like you aren't a thing, but everyone knows you are."

"Shut up, Jean," I snapped, "It's nobody's business what we are. You're so fucking thick, god."

He glared back at me, "Thats exactly what your sister says."

I froze, "What?"

"Thats what your sister says. About me," A gross smile crossed his face and he lowered his voice, "About my dick."

I looked at him with disgust.

"I fucked your sister, Jaeger," He said in that slimy voice of his.

"You bastard!" I yelled, lunging at him suddenly. I heard Sasha yell out something along the lines of, 'Eren, no!' And 'Oh god.'

I grabbed his hair and landed a forceful punch on his jaw, causing anger to flare up into his eyes. He roared with anger and swung at me wildly, his fist connecting with my sides, then my cheeks, them my nose. My nose made a sickening crunching sound, and i gasped with pain, stumbling backwards from his punch. I started to feel lightheaded as Sasha charged between Jean and I's path, holding Jean back by his chest. Then, as I was about to stand up, I heard a voice that I had hoped not to hear.

"What the fuck is going on?"

Jean froze, and so did Sasha. She let go of Jean and turned to Levi, a scared look on her face. She scurried out of the way and Jeans chest heaved up and down, his brows drawn together angrily, "Your boyfriend attacked me!"

Levi turned his head and looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I looked back sheepishly, bringing a hand up to cover my bloody nose.

"Well he had to have a reason to do so. Eren wouldn't do that just for fun," Levi said, flatly. A small crowd had gathered a few feet away, watching us and whispering quietly. Levi shot them a look and they turned away.

"He said he was sleeping with Mikasa," I squeaked.

Levi bent down, "Uncover your nose."

I did so and he examined it, sighing deeply and shaking his head, "It's broken."

"He started it!" Jean cried again.

Levi got up and held his hand out to me. I took it and he helped me up, "I don't have trouble believing that," He rolled his eyes, "But you were the instigator, weren't you?"

"What? I-I didn't do anything!" He yelled, rubbing his jaw. I glowered at him.

"Hm. Sasha, what do you think?"

Sasha's eyes widened, and she spoke in a high pitched voice, "Well… Eren would have never gotten angry if Jean wouldn't have said anything! I'm really sorry Jean, but it's true!"

Jean stared at her with disbelief.

"Come on, you two, I'm sure Irvin will be extremely happy to hear about this," Levi dragged me by my collar and pushed Jean forward. We silently walked to Irvin's office.

"Oi, Irvin, look what I brought," Levi said, pushing Jean forward once more, causing him to stumble and glare at Levi. He released my collar and put his hand on the small of my back, pushing me forward softly. Irvin looked up and his eyes landed on my bloody nose. He sighed and took his glasses off, setting them on the desk.

"Well, we all knew it would happen eventually," He clicked his pen in annoyance, "You know that could get you two fired, correct?"

We remained silent.

"So who started it?"

"Jean did," I grumbled, "He was talking about Levi and I's relationship then claimed he… uh, had relations with my sister."

Jean spoke up, "He hit me first."

"Well it sounds like you started it, Mr. Kirchstein."

He shut his mouth quickly.

"I'm deducting $3 from your pay," He said, looking at Jean with a hard look, "I'm sure my customers didn't exactly appreciate you beating the daylights out of Eren in the middle of my store. Don't let it happen again."

He turned to me and Levi, "You're getting the rest of the day off, Mr. Jaeger, to treat that nose of yours. Again, don't let anything like this happen again. Ever. Levi, you may go with him until your lunch break."

We nodded and Jean stared at Irvin with disbelief, "You two are dismissed."

-x-

"Fuck, hold still," Levi hissed, holding my jaw and forcing me to face him. I whined and gripped the chair I was sitting on hard, as he pinched my nose and laid a band aid where the skin had broken, "There, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"It hurt," I grumbled.

He rolled his eyes, "Go sit on the couch. I'll get you some ice or something."

I trudged over to the couch and laid down, leaning my head backwards against the pillow. Levi strolled in and tossed me a bag of frozen peas, "You know those expired months ago, right?"

I shrugged, and he muttered, "disgusting."

He lifted my head gently and sat down where the pillows had once been, my head laying on his lap now. He snatched the peas away from me and held them tenderly to my nose, grimacing whenever I whined.

After a few minutes, Levi's usually hard gaze had softened and he was stroking my hair with his free hand. I could feel the pain slowly receding, from my nose being numbed and also from the calming movement of Levi's fingers. He skimmed his fingers along my scalp, making me hum contently and close my eyes.

"I love you," I muttered.

"I love you, too," He said, a smile lacing through his words, "A lot. You're one of the best things thats ever happened me to, Eren."

I snorted, my heart fluttering at his words, "Would you like some wine with that cheese?"

I smacked my head lightly, causing me to groan in pain, "Shut up. You didn't even use it right, you brat."

"Ugh, that hurt…" I said, squeezing my eyes shut tighter.

"You'll live," He chuckled, patting my hair lightly.

I shut my eyes again and white noise surrounded us, the soft humming of electrical appliances and breathing.

"Hey, Eren?" Levi spoke.

"Yeah?"

"What would you say if I asked you to move in with me? Like, when I got my own place."

I opened my eyes slowly and searched his face. He bit the inside of his cheek and looked right back down at me.

"I would say yes."

"Without hesitation?"

"Yes."

He smiled and leaned back, "Good to know," He sighed then leaned forward again, pecking me lightly and moving my head off of his lap. He stood up and placed a pillow under my neck.

"Well, I have some things i want to do, so i'll get going."

I whined, "Come on, don't go yet. It's early. You'll be leaving me all alone."

He snorted, grabbing his keys from the coffee table, "Don't die!"

I moaned as he walked out the door.

-x-

I scrolled lazily through the channels, eventually deciding on a cooking show. I settled back down onto the pillow holding my new bag of ice over my face.

I heard the door creak open quietly, and I craned my neck enough to see a head of black hair a bright red scarf. Oh boy, this was going to be fun to explain.

"Eren?" She called, her eyes widening. She rushed over to me, "What happened?"

"Jean beat me up," I said, pressing the ice to my face once again.

"He what?" She said through clenched teeth, "Why?"

"Because he was talking about me and Levi, so I hit him," I narrowed my eyes at her, "He also mentioned something about you, Mikasa."

She froze.

"Why'd you sleep with him?!" I cried, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"I was drunk!" She yelled, "And maybe I like him."

My eyes widened in horror, "Hes such an ass though, Mikasa!"

"Maybe I like ass'," She rolled her eyes.

"He has a horse face," I whined, "You should've heard what he said. It was so rude. He said, 'I fucked your sister, Jaeger'. Hes an ass!"

"I'll talk to him about it," She sighed, "Just don't hate me. I think he's gay anyway."

"What? Why?"

She shrugged, "There was a rumor that he dated Marco Bodt. Remember him?"

"Jean doesn't seem gay."

"Well, I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't have gone to that premiere. Literally the only time he would pay attention to me was when Marco was around. He also was looking over at him a lot and got really bubbly. That implies something," She shook her finger at me and wandered to the kitchen.

"If you think he's gay then why'd you sleep with him?" I asked miserably. I really didn't want her to be with Jean.

"Because I like him and we were wasted! It was shitty, so don't be so miserable. It was probably a one time thing," She yelled from the kitchen.

I sighed and turned to TV, trying to shake the disgust from my head.

I watched TV for a few minutes, and Mikasa joined me with her laptop about half an hour before we heard the front door creak open and a, "Christ, my nipples are frozen."

I raised an eyebrow and he waved to me and Mikasa, "Winter is great, is it not?"

"Isn't your birthday this month?" Mikasa asked, not looking up from her computer. Her rapid typing had stopped though, and she looked as if she was about to crack a huge smile.

"Yeah," He pushed a few bags into the trash and my heart sped up when I saw the black and white of the bag from the jewelry store flash out of view, "It's on Christmas, so you guys had better not forget it."

"Of course not," Mikasa squeaked, a stream of giggles breaking free from her mouth. I raised an eyebrow at her and Levi shot her hard look, silencing her immediately.

Levi strode in with a hand behind his back and I pretended to be focused on the TV, my heart pounding in my chest and wishing so much that he was just giving me a flower instead of a $400 watch. He slowly walked up to the coffee table and pulled a medium-sized black, velvet box from behind his back and set it on the table.

Mikasa ceased her rapid typing and looked to us. Levi was chewing his lip and staring at me, his hands jammed into his pockets, "Well? Open it, kid."

I swallowed thickly, leaning forward to grab the box. The material was soft in my hands, and i caressed it for a few seconds before slowly prying the box open.

The watch was staring at me. It's large face was bright and beautiful like I remember, and it was blindingly shiny. I opened my mouth slightly, letting a small gasp escape them. It was so beautiful, and it was mine. Levi had bought it for me. Just for me.

"Well…?" Levi prodded, a nervous edge in his voice, "Thats the one you liked so much, remember?"

"Yeah," I choked out, trailing my finger along the golden edge, "But, Levi-"

He put a hand up, "If you're going to comment about money, don't bother. You deserve that."

I smiled at him and he sat down, pulling my wrist and the box into his lap, "Lets try it on."

I watched as he fastened the watch around my wrist, the metal cool against my skin. When it was fastened on, I held my arm out and up, watching the light bounce off of the bright face.

"It looks good on you," Mikasa commented, giving me a small smile.

"Doesn't it?" Levi said, searching my face with his hard gaze.

I threw my arms around him, surprised at how much heavier the watch had made my wrist. He laughed and returned my hug, planting a wet kiss on my forehead. I smiled widely, "You're getting a reward for this later."

He laughed even more, causing my heart to swell, "I can't wait."

I ended up admiring my $400 watch while I ate a $5 microwave meal.


	12. 12 - Christmas Eve

-HOLY CRAP 10k VIEwSSS? I MEAN THEY'RE JUST /VIEWS/ BUT STILL OMG THANK YOU GUYS…. seriously knowing that people actually ENJOY this fic warms my heart and makes me go "hey! I'm the one writing! People enjoy my writing!" Thank you guys sosososo much for ALL of your support. Anyway, back to the fic; this is basically smut and ummmm happiness i guess. All i can say is enjoy this while it lasts. You guys are going to be so angry with me ehuehuehue-

"Nngg, fuck, Eren!" Levi called out, thrusting up into my mouth and releasing the tension in his stomach into the back of my throat. I swallowed as much as i could before gagging quietly, letting some of his seed dribble down my chin. I huffed and looked up at his face, satisfied to see red cheeks and wide eyes.

"I swear to god you're getting too good at this."

I laughed and wiped my chin, licking it off of my palm after doing so. Levi made a noise of disgust and i crawled up next to him, enveloping my naked body in sweat-soaked sheets. He patted my head and reached over to the nightstand, coming back with a black cigarette and a lighter.

"Why do you always smoke after we're done?" I ask, rolling over on my side and looking up at him.

"I don't know. It's relaxing."

"And getting a blowjob isnt?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

He rolled his grey eyes and licked his lips before sticking the cigarette in there, "This just calms me down. I get all shaky and high-strung after I get off, unlike you, who'd rather fall asleep."

I turned red, "I can stay awake if you want."

He chuckled, "Thats cute. You're cute, Eren."

"I just sucked your dick, I'm not cute."

He shrugged, "You're still pretty cute."

I watched as he closed his eyes, letting the smoke from the thin cigarette fall from his lips.

Even though i had been with him for months, I still couldn't get over Levi's sheer beauty. Everything about him was absolutely flawless, and thats not an exaggeration. Even the many scars that adorned his skin were beautiful, even though they weren't something to be proud of. They made Levi…. well, Levi. And I wouldn't change him for anything in the world.

"Hey, kid, did you hear me?"

I blinked a few times and turned my attention to him, "What?"

"I asked if you wanted a drag."

I shook my head and laid back on the pillows, "No thank you. I'm too tired."

"From what?" He snorted, "We didn't even fuck."

"We never do and i'm always tired anyways. It's just post-orgasm."

He rolled closer to me and spoke in that velvety voice of his, "You'd be more tired if we fucked."

"God, you never stop, do you?" I whined, uncomfortable with the closeness of his cigarette to my skin.

"Do you really want me too?" He questioned, grey eyes flickering mischievously.

"Right now, yes, I do. I want to sleep."

He frowned ,"Hmph. You're really no fun sometimes."

I sighed and laid close to his side, watching as he finished off the cigarette and flicked it into the ashtray. He switched off the small lamp next to our bedside and pulled me to him, humming contentedly.

"Goodnight," I murmured, brushing my lips over his. He smiled, "Yeah, goodnight."

-x-

"It said HALF a cup, you dumbass!" Mikasa yelled to Levi, pointing at the rather sad looking cake sitting on the counter. It was collapsed and mushy looking. Levi's brows furrowed in anger, "I would have been able to read it correctly if you wouldn't have been fighting me for the box the whole time!"

She scoffed, "Right, blame me. Great, now I have to go to the store to pick up a new box of cake mix. I try to do one nice thing for you and you screw it up!"

Levi growled and I set my cup of cocoa down and rubbed his arm, "Guys, calm down! It's christmas eve, we don't need all this negativity! Hey, Mikasa, Levi and I will go get some cake, don't worry. Why don't you go ahead and start on dinner? So it can be ready by the time Armin gets here."

She scowled at Levi and he rolled his eyes, "Fine."

"Let me go get some shoes," Levi mumbled, and I called for him to grab me a pair too.

"Will you wrap his present, too?" I asked Mikasa as sweetly as I could.

She threw me a look, and I looked back, and she finally sighed, "Yeah whatever."

I smiled and turned to the living room, plopping down in a soft chair. Levi had insisted that we get a small christmas tree to put in the corner, and had dragged me and Hanji to buy one after work one afternoon. He had seemed so excited about it, and I hadn't had a tree up since my mom died, so I had went along without complaint. Hanji had brought over extra decorations, and we all decorated the tree together. It was fun and everyone was in such high spirits; Levi even laughed at some of Mikasa's jokes.

Presents were piled under the tree. Not many, of course, but enough for each of us. Five for Mikasa; A new CD from her favorite band, a leather jacket (That Levi had picked out), some candles, a new cooking pan, and a Barnes and Noble gift card. It wasn't much, but it was the best we could do. I had splurged for Levi, an astonishing 7 presents for him; a new white rug to replace the cranberry-juice stained one that adorned his floor now, a new pair of black converse since he only owned, like, two pairs, a Stephen King book called "Needful Things," a pair of green slippers, a starbucks giftcard, a 1000 piece puzzle (I had figured out that levi actually enjoyed puzzles very much), and a birthday gift that I had put a lot of money into, which was the one Mikasa was going to wrap while we were gone. It was two necklaces, a pair of wings, one white and one black. One for each of us. They were framed in silver, and they cost me a whopping $140, but I knew the look on Levi's face when he see's them are going to be priceless. I had also gotten Armin two presents, a new computer mouse and a t- shirt of his favorite band. I had, on more than one occasion, walked up to the tree and examined the presents. There were 6 for me, and they ranged from moderately-sized to the size of a jewelry box.

"Eren, get your shoes on," Levi's voice invaded my thoughts and a pair of shoes flew into my lap.

-x-

"What flavor do you want?" I ask, reaching up and examining a box of red-velvet cake mix.

"Not that," He grumbled, flipping his hair away from his face with a jerk of his head. I sighed irritably, "Then what freaking kind, Levi?"

He groaned and threw his head back, "Can we just buy one from the bakery?"

I pursed my lips, "No, we can't. You're going to bake a cake, successfully, with Mikasa whether you like it or not. And I think i'm going to get chocolate, since you don't seem to care what kind we get."

"Get carrot cake," He mumbled.

I smirked, "There we go. Carrot cake is good." I grabbed a box and threw it in the cart, then gestured for him to follow along behind me. He did so, a grumpy look on his face.

"Why are you so sour?" I ask finally, glancing at him as i admired the shelves of ceral. He shrugged.

"Did that one thing with Mikasa really get you that upset?" I ask again, Turning to face him with one hand on the cart and one on my hip. He didn't respond and turned to me with a box of Frosted Mini Wheats in hand, holding it out for me to take. His eyes were dull and his mouth was turned down, as usual.

I always found it odd that the smallest things would upset Levi for the whole day.

I frowned at him and, instead of taking the cereal, I grabbed his wrists. Nobody was around to see me do so, and Levi arched an eyebrow. I pressed my mouth gently against his a couple of times, and he was unresponsive both times.

"Hey, loosen up," I whispered, searching his eyes, "It's Christmas Eve and we're supposed to be happy."

"I'm getting old, Eren," Levi said, an irritated edge in his voice.

I rolled my eyes and dropped his wrists, "Is that really why you're so sour?"

"Just…" He sighed, "I have no good memories associated with my birthday, nor do I with Christmas. I know i may have seemed upbeat weeks before, but that was for you. Sure, I enjoyed some of it, but it didn't erase the memories that are still floating around in the back of my mind."

I frowned, "I know it's hard, but try to just focus on the present for right now. Take it easy."

"It's not that easy."

I enveloped him in a hug and he hugged back and sighed with defeat. I mumbled against his hair, "I know, Levi. Just try. For me. Okay?"

"Will you stop embarrassing me in public places if i say okay?"

I laughed and let go of him, "Sure."

"Okay."

I kissed his forehead and turned back to the cart, "I love you."

"Love you," he mumbled, hiding his blushing cheeks with the neck of his sweater.

-x-

"That looks decent," Levi said thoughtfully, admiring the cake from a distance. It was coated thickly in white icing, and it looked absolutely delicious.

"We make a decent team," Mikasa laughed, wiping off a smear of icing on her cheek.

"Yeah, when you two can actually work together," I mumbled, popping a painkiller in my mouth. My nose still hurt like a bitch.

"Where's your friend?" Levi asked, turning to me.

"He stopped by his grandfathers house. He'll be here s-"

I was cut off by the doorbell ringing, and i shrugged to Levi, "Soon."

I ran to the door and flung it open, and was met with a bright eyed Armin, his long, blond hair pulled into a ponytail and his glasses sitting high up on his nose.

"Armin!" I cried, throwing my arms around him, "It's so good to see you!"

He laughed and hugged me back enthusiastically, "It's good to see you too!"

I smiled at him, and pulled away, allowing him to come inside the house. Mikasa smiled warmly and they hugged for a long time, finally pulling away with huge smiles. Levi waved to Armin, "Hey."

Armin breathed and waved back, "Hiya."

"Make yourself comfortable, Armin, Levi and I are going to get dinner served." Mikasa said, gesturing for Levi to follow her.

Armin took his heavy coat off and laid it on the arm of a chair, then kicked his shoes off. He and I plopped down on the couch, "Hows school been?"

He shrugged and leaned back with a sigh, "Good. People are actually really cool and it's not hard to make friends. I made two good friends names Reiner and Bertholdt. Actually, I've made quite a few friends."

"Thats great, Armin!" I exclaimed, clapping, "I'm really happy for you. Are your classes hard?"

"Yes, actually, but I love it! Ive never been challenged when it came to school, but this is like a breath of fresh air and I love it."

I laughed, "Thats good to hear. I can't really imagine you being challenged by anything, though."

He rolled his eyes with a smile, "I'm only human, Eren. How about you, though? How's everything going here?"

"Everything's going pretty good. They don't fight as much anymore, and Levi's not having nearly as many nightmares as he used to. Everythings going… really good. I'm happy, Armin."

He smiled warmly once again and patted my shoulder, "I'm so glad. For a few months there, i thought that you were actually-"

"Oi, kids, dinner is on the table if you want to eat," Levi announced, his head poking around the corner. I threw a glance at Armin and we got up, making our way to the kitchen and sitting down. I took my seat next to Levi, and he held up a bottle of wine, "Anyone want any?"

Mikasa nodded, holding out her glass. I did too, but Armin remained still, "Hey, Armin, just have a glass. It won't kill you."

He smiled sheepishly at Levi's words, "Ah-uh, no thanks! I appreciate it, but i don't really like alcohol."

Levi shrugged, "Well, it's there if you want any. Don't hesitate to ask, because if you guys don't help me finish it, I'll finish it myself."

"Don't worry," Mikasa said with full cheeks, "We'll definitely help you. Or at least, I will."

"Ah well… great. Everyone dig in."

By the time dinner was over, Mikasa and Levi had finished off 3 bottles of wine with very little help from me. They were pink cheeked and giggly by the time Armin left, and Mikasa pecked his cheek and went to bed shortly after. Levi and I stayed up, settling down together to watch a Kitchen Nightmares marathon that was on. We cuddled close to each other, a soft blanket tangled between us.

Levi cuddled closer to me, brushing his nose along my jaw. I sighed and turned my head to kiss his nose, and he made a content little noise. I kissed his forehead, then turned my attention back to the TV. It didn't last long, though, because my attention was dragged away by soft lips planting wet kisses along my jugular. I sighed breathlessly and rolled my head back, allowing better access, and he dove in when i did. He smelled like alcohol and lavender, and i loved it. He rolled small sections of my sensitive flesh between his teeth, moaning softly every time i squirmed beneath him.

"God, I'm so horny," He breathed against my neck, eliciting a puff of hot breath from me.

"Do you want to go up to my room?" I asked, my voice sounds unlike my own. It was husky and hoarse.

He pulled back to look at me with alcohol-induced lust and licked his lips, nodding. I turned the TV off and we both got up, and he walked in from of me, the swaying of his hips mesmerizing me. Before we got to my room, he pulled me to his level by my collar, meshing his lips to mine. He sloppily, and hungrily, wrestled my tongue. He pulled away quickly, opening the door.

"I-I have to pee. I'll be right back," I stammered, rushing to the bathroom. I peed quickly and went to the sink, washing my hands and brushing my teeth as quickly as i could. Why was I so nervous? Probably because I was about to lose my virginity. That was definitely it. Maybe Levi would let me top. I doubt that though, seeing as he has way more experience than me. I sighed heavily and flicked the light off, making my way slowly down the hall. My door was cracked open and i could see a faint light. I made my way inside and closed my door. I turned around slowly, and was surprised to see Levi sprawled out in the middle of my bed, his pants tugged down to his ankles. His mouth was hanging open, and it was the cutest thing i'd ever seen. I sighed quietly and walked over to him, slowly pulling his jeans off all the way and throwing them to the floor. I, as gently as i could, rolled him over to the far side of my bed, so he was pressed against my wall and there would be enough room for the both of us. I stripped into nothing but my boxers and t-shirt and turned my lamp off.

I climbed into bed with Levi and pulled the blankets over both of us. I fell asleep almost immediately.

-x-

I slowly opened my eyes, surprised to be met with nothing but darkness. I craned my neck slightly to look at the time; 3:15 AM. I sighed and laid my head back down on the pillow.

"Eren?" I heard a whisper behind me.

"Yeah?"

"Oh, you're awake. Good."

I pulled my blankets up to my chin, "how long have you been awake?

"Like, 15 minutes," I felt his nose brush the back of my neck.

"Mm," I hummed, his warmth pressing against me, "You should try to go back to sleep."

"Don't really want to," He mumbled, grinding his hips against my backside. I went rigid immediately.

"Are you still drunk?" I ask, his grinding still continuing.

"Nn, ah - Kinda. Not really - mm - I'm still aware of what I'm doing. Ah, fuck…" He breathed against the nape of my neck, grabbing my hips so he could press closer.

"Jeez, Levi.." i whispered harshly, feeling heat rapidly pool in my stomach. He moaned quietly, and i arched my back.

"Can I fuck you?" He asked, nibbling my ear. My breath hitched and he chuckled.

"I… I don't know. I don't really want to do it - fuck - when you're drunk," i squirmed beneath him as he moved his hands downward, squeezing my ass roughly.

"I'm not drunk," He practically growled in my ear, "I'm not completely sober, I really never am, but i'm fully aware of what's going on."

"Are you sure?"

He groaned and starting rocking his hips against my backside once again, "Yeah, I'm sure."

"Then fine."

He stopped moving, "really?"

"Yeah."

I was suddenly being flipped over on my back, strong hands on either side of my head. I still couldn't see anything; but that changed when Levi shifted his weight onto one hand and leaned over to turn my lamp on it's dullest setting. He returned to his position, looking down at me with wide eyes. His hair was messy but I didn't care. He bent down to capture my mouth with his, and I pressed into him. There was no battle for dominance when he slid his tongue in my mouth. He explored me throughly, not leaving one spot in my mouth untouched. He soon got bored of my mouth and moved to my jaw, my neck and my collarbones. He nibbled, licked, and sucked all over the sensitive skin, and I wished he had the decency to not leave marks, but I knew that wasn't Levi's thing. He wanted everyone to know that I was his.

When he finished his assault on my neck, he wasted no time in pulling my shirt off, then doing the same to himself. I watched through half-lidded eyes as he leaned onto his knees and spreaded my legs as far apart as they would go. I was about to ask what he was doing, when he suddenly had his clothed erection pressed against mine. I gasped loudly and rolled my hips around, resulting in delicious friction. Levi's grip on my knee tightened as I swiveled my hips in every direction, and he rolled his pink bottom lip between his teeth, looking down at our erections.

"Mmm, do you want me, Eren?" He panted, and I whined when he stopped my hips from moving, which caused the heavenly friction to stop as well.

"Fuck yes I do. I want every single part of you."

He growled and yanked my boxers off in one swift movement. He, once again, did the same to himself. He flipped me again and settled underneath me, then pushed my head down to where his dick was settled against his stomach. I huffed out a breath, slightly irritated that he always had to go first, but i didn't mind all too much. I carefully took it in my hand, and it was as hard as a lead pipe. I brought my lips to it, planting wet kisses all up his shaft. I took his tip in my mouth and flicked my tongue over the sensitive spot on the underside of his tip repeatedly, loving the hisses and gasps that made their way out of his mouth when he jerked upwards.

"Stop," He breathed, and i pulled my head back quickly and gave him a questioning look, "I'm going to finish if you don't stop that."

I crawled up to him and kissed him, "We wouldn't want that."

He kissed me back, then pushed me aside. He got up and grabbed a pair of shorts off of the floor, "I'll be right back. Get on all fours and be ready when i come back."

"But-"

He shot me a look, "I'm just going to get some stuff from my room, I'll be right back."

I frowned as he jogged out of the room, but complied with what he had told me to do. I laid down with my elbows on the pillow, holding me up. I can see why he would want me in this position; my ass was up in the air and he probably had a fantastic view of all of me. I felt vulnerable.

"Alright," he announced as he strolled in, and i looked back to see him holding a condom and a bottle of lube, "Lets get this party started."

I rolled my eyes and he plopped onto the bed, kicking his shorts off and hovering over me from behind, nibbling at my ear, "tell me if anything hurts," He murmured. I nodded and heard a click from the top of the bottle, then I felt his lips between my shoulders and a cold finger against my entrance. I gasped as it slowly slid into me, and Levi cooed, "sh, just relax. We aren't going to get anywhere if you can't relax." I nodded and did as i was told, letting my muscles completely relax. He slowly worked his finger inside me, and it was one of the most uncomfortable things i had ever experienced in my life.

"You've never fingered yourself before, Eren?" Levi asked, planting another kiss to the shell of my ear.

"Well, I did, o-one time."

"Tch," he said, working another slick finger inside of me. I tried to relax myself some more, but my muscles stayed tense.

"You're way too tense. I can't do anything if you don't relax. Just calm down, it's only me you're with. I promise, if you relax, I'll make it feel good." He said, his tone sounding slightly irritated. I huffed and buried my face into a pillow, taking deep breathes, "Good. Just like that." He hummed, moving his fingers around inside of me. To my surprise, he was right when he said it would feel better. He brushed his thumb along my perineum, and i writhed underneath him. He chuckled and made the 'come hither' motion with his fingers, brushing past something that caused me to jerk and arch my back.

"There we go," He whispered in a sultry voice, rubbing the spot over and over. A high pitched whine escaped my lips as i sat upright, grinding down on his fingers, "What a good boy. Does that feel good, Eren? Tell me."

"Mmnn, yes, feels s-so good, Levi," I panted, taking my dick in my hand and teasing myself, the coil in my stomach dangerously close to coming undone.

"No," He said sternly, reaching around to stop my wrist from moving, "I don't want you finishing yet. Are you ready?"

"Yes," I said quickly, reaching back behind his neck, pulling his face to my neck. He brushed his lips along my jugular, "Please, please fuck me."

He groaned and pulled his fingers out of me, and I was about to whine before I heard him tear the condom wrapper and slowly roll it on. He snapped open the lube bottle and applied as much as he thought he needed. I relaxed as much possible when i felt his tip poking my entrance, and took a deep breath. He tenderly massaged my shoulders, and i closed my eyes, trying to ignore the burning sensation I experienced as Levi slowly pushed inside of me, "Are you okay?" He asked in a concerned voice.

"Yeah," I replied, my voice breaking as he slowly slid all the way in. He stayed still for a few minutes to give me time to adjust to his length. He waited a good five minutes, and the uncomfortableness slowly faded. "Move," I whispered in a hoarse voice. He yanked me up to his, so my back was pressed against his stomach and his hot breath was in my ear. He slowly started giving shallow thrusts, causing me to roll my head back. He took that as a sign to attack my neck, and i moaned quietly as he softly tugged at my skin with his teeth. His thrusts got progressively faster and harder, and soon I was seeing stars of pleasure as he struck the special spot inside me with each stroke.

"You feel so, so good. I love you, I need you," He panted against me, and I rutted against him, looking for more pleasure.

"L-Levi, I need m-more, please," I groaned, moving my hands to back to his ass and holding him against me as he thrusted. He grunted loudly and reached around to the front of me, taking my leaking dick in his hand and fisting me with vigor. A loud moan escaped me, and i could hear Levi's breathing getting more and more erratic, "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," He said, pushing me down. I fell face first onto the pillows and moaned into them as Levi pounded into me, using my hips to make sure he struck the sensitive nub inside of me with each stroke. The coil in my stomach was awfully close to snapping, the way he felt inside of me and the absolutely wonderful friction coming from my dick rubbing against the sheets was too much, "Levi, i'm going to c-cum, oh god, please let me-"

He cried out and thrusted into me - hard - and a loud squelch could be heard as he pounded into me once more. He continued with his thrusts and his hand movement for a few more minutes, and I came; hard. I sprayed my seed all over my stomach, Levi's hand, and the sheets with a loud whine and a shiver that ripped through me. He slouched on top of me, pulling out slowly. We laid there for a few minutes, breathing hard and letting our sweat dry against our skin. Levi eventually rolled off of me to pull his condom off, tying it and rolling it in a paper towel. He buried it at the bottom of the trash can, then came back to lay with me.

"I told you I'd be tired after sex," He said, pulling my naked body close to his. I smiled and kissed his chin, and he sighed contentedly.

"I love you so much. I'll never get tired of saying that, Eren."

"I love you, too," I whispered, "And Levi?"

"Yeah?" He asked, exhaustion clouding his voice.

****"Happy birthday."


End file.
